The End of What Was
by Lucybell0275
Summary: Story starts after Edward leaves Bella in the forest. AU with some surprise differences, explanation of why Bella is hallucinating. Eventual Bella/Jake Pairing. Rated M for eventual lemons. First time writing so I need reviews on how to make better!
1. Chapter 1: Danger Zone

**A/N: Hey there guys! This is my first time writing fan fiction, so please bear with me! Please let me know how I'm doing. Starting at the part where Bella is left in the forest after Edward's departure. We will depart from Cannon soon enough. I felt the need to reiterate a lot of S.M.'s story at the beginning. All of the characters and some details belong to Stephanie Meyer. This is an AU with some surprises, Jacob/Bella storyline, and rated M for some lemons :)**

Chapter 1

I am sitting in the middle of the forest, feeling more lost than I ever have. I'm so cold... Just so, so cold. I'm not dressed to be here at this time of night, and the only thing I can think of to do, is curl up in a ball and try to stop shivering. The time is passing so slowly. How long have I been here? Hours. Days. Years. I feel empty. I'll just stay here. What does it matter? He's gone. He left. He doesn't love me... He doesn't. He doesn't love me. He said as much.

There's nothing left to do, so I sleep. I've lost track of time, but after a while, I hear people calling my name. Why should I answer? I have no reason anymore. I have no reason to try. The reason for my existence left... But here they are anyway. Loud shouts tell me that they've found me. No reason to open my eyes. I know where I'm going. Back to Charlie's. Where I'll never see Edward again... Because he left. He's gone. He doesn't love me.

Warm arms scoop me up and carry me, quickly. I can feel the cold wind on my face. There are cries of relief. There are people happy to see me. But none of them are the face that I long to see. This feels unreal. Is this really my life? Is this really happening?

"Oh my God, Bella! Oh, baby, I'm so glad they found you! Are you hurt? What hurts? Can you please speak to me?" asks Charlie.

I'm not sure how to answer. Everything hurts. My body, my mind, my soul... I'm dying. Crumbling like ash. "I'm fine," I lie. I'm not. I'm far from fine.

The warm man carrying me hands me over to Charlie. He looks like he could be related to Jacob. Charlie grunts under my dead weight and carries me to the cruiser. I lay down in the backseat. No need for a seat belt tonight, Chief Swan.

Charlie tries to talk to me on the way home, but I don't answer. I don't have the energy to keep up conversation. I want to go home and sleep forever. We get home and Charlie pulls me out of the back of the cruiser. He asks me if I can walk. I don't answer. He picks me up, carries me to my bed, and lays me down. I can see the concern on his face.

"I'll shower in the morning, Dad. I just want to sleep," I say, hoping that this will send him out of my room to leave me in peace.

"Bella, what happened? Why were you in the woods? How did you get out there?" these questions are the ones he tried to ask on the way home, too, I remember. I didn't answer then, and I don't want to now. But I know if I don't say something, he won't leave me alone. He's too worried. Charlie normally doesn't pry, but I'm too far gone this time.

"Dad, Edward broke up with me. He's gone. They're all gone. Please, just let me sleep."

"Did he leave you there? Did he actually just walk away and leave you to find your own way out? I ought to kill him! Are you sure he's gone? I'm going to drive over there-"

I interrupt him before he can say it. "Dad! Please. Just... Don't. Just please stop. It's over. They're gone. Forever." I am choking back tears. I can't hold it together anymore.

Charlie reaches over and pats me. Poor guy. He is hesitant. He doesn't know what to do. Crying is not his area. At my tears, he starts to walk out of my room.

"If you need anything, tell me. I'm going to go watch TV in the recliner."

As he leaves, I listen for him to get down the stairs. When I can no longer hear his steps, I let loose. I am crying so hard that it hurts. Time is passing again, so slowly... He's gone. He never loved me. Of course he didn't. Why would he?

 _I'm running in the forest, trying to find him. Where is he? Why can't I find him? He was just here. I see a sparkle over to my left, and I chase it. That must be him. It must be._

 _Only, when I get to him, it's just his head. I suck in my breath, looking around, and body parts are littering our meadow. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle... All here._

"Bella! Bella! Wake up! Bella, please wake up!" Charlie is shaking me. Then I hear my screams. I can't stop. I don't know how to stop. Every night, for the past month. I have nightmares. They differ every night, though the subject stays pretty much the same... Something happening to the people I love. Ever since he's been gone. Since he told me he didn't love me. That he didn't want me.

"Bella... Listen. I'm going to call your mom. We'll get you on a plane to Jacksonville as soon as possible. Maybe she can help you. Because I am just don't know how. I don't know how to help you, Bells."

"No, Dad. I'm not leaving Forks. I can't go," I cry.

"Yes, you are. He's not coming back, you know that, right? I don't know what to do anymore. This isn't good, Bells. It's not good for you. You've been having nightmares every night since we found you in the forest. I've tried. I am not sure what else I can do," Charlie sighs.

"No, I have to stay. I love Forks. I know he's not coming back. But I have friends here! I'm supposed to be seeing Jessica tonight. And I plan on hanging out with Jake soon."

"Well... Ok. But you do need to see your friends. I was going to suggest you hang out with Jake. He has called a few times and asked about you," he says lightly.

"I'll be sure to call him tomorrow. I've missed him."

This seems to satisfy Charlie. He dips his head, gets up from my bed, and walks to my door. He looks like he wants to say something else, but shakes his head slightly and closes the door. I have to find a way so stop these nightmares.

After waking up and showering, I decided to make my phone calls. First, to Jessica, and then to Jacob.

"Hey, Jess! It's Bella."

"Bella Swan?"

I sigh. "Yes, Bella Swan. I know we haven't spoken in a while. I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie tonight?"

"Yes! I'll pick you up around 5?"she sounds excited.

"See you then!" I say, trying to sound excited, too. Really, I kinda wanna hurl at the thought of putting effort into something. But if I don't try, Charlie is going to call Renee. And I'm not ready to leave. Better call Jake now.

"Jake! Hey, it's Bella!"

"Bells! Hey loca! How are you?" he sounds more excited than Jessica.

"I'm... ok. Hey... I was just wondering if you want to hang out. Nothing crazy. Maybe go to a movie tonight? Jessica and I are going to Port Angeles. I was thinking maybe you could come?" I asked, knowing he would say yes. I don't think he's ever told me no to anything I've asked.

"Absolutely! Sounds like a blast," he answered, predictably.

"Alright, well Jessica is picking me up at 5. I can come get you before then? Or-"

"Nah, I can be at your house before then. Maybe we can hang out for a little while? Talk? I haven't seen you in a while..." he trailed off, hesitantly.

"That sounds great. I'll make us some cookies, chocolate chip, right?"

"Mmmmmmm..." I can practically hear him salivating over the phone. "I'll be there around 3?"

"Sure thing, Jake. See you then," I said, then waited for his goodbye, and hung up.

That was exhausting. How am I going to be able to do this tonight? I can't keep this up, like a normal human being. I'm not normal. I feel so broken... But, I've decided to push through this. Maybe being around other normal humans will make me feel normal. Three can't come fast enough.

I'm taking the cookies out of the oven when I hear the knock on the door. I look up at the clock. Right on time. I know it's Jake. I walk quickly to the door and open it. I was right. It's Jake. He picks me up in one of his crushing bear hugs, spinning me around. When he sets me on my feet, I notice how much he's changed in the last month since I've seen him.

"Holy biceps, Batman!" I spout. I look down, worried he'll think I'm weird for saying something. I stand aside so he can come in and sit on the couch.

He chuckled and smiled, saying, "I'm just filling out, Bella. Which you would know if I had seen you in the last month! Where have you been?"

"Oh, here. I haven't been doing much." I take a seat on the opposite side of the couch. He looks disappointed in my choice. I hop up, thinking out loud, "Cookies! I made you cookies! Would you like some?"

He smiles again and gets up with me, heading to the kitchen. "They smell amazing! Of course I would love some. Thank you."

I set the plate on the kitchen table and offer him milk, which he takes with a smile and thanks. Watching him eat is fascinating. Where is he putting all of this? I made 3 dozen cookies. He ate 2 dozen himself, and refilled his milk glass once. I can't imagine trying to feed this guy all of the time. He must eat Billy out of house and home.

Once he noticed that I wasn't eating, he stopped. "Aren't you going to have some, Bells?"

"Oh, I ate some of the dough. I'll have some later, if there are any left," I wink, and he laughed. He pushed the plate away.

He has a serious look on his face. "Bella... I heard that Edward left. How are you doing? Are you... ok? I mean, how are you taking it?"

I had hoped. I had really hoped that this wouldn't be anything that we talk about today. "Jake, I'm just not ready to talk about it. He's gone. I'm here. That's all."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business... I'm just worried, is all. I hear Charlie talking to Dad... Ah, I'll shut up now," he says, looking very embarrassed.

I don't know what to say, so I just let it go. I decide to go with something easier to talk about. "So... How is school going?"

"Oh, yeah. Um, it's going pretty good, actually. I'm supposed to be graduating early. I don't know, I may start some college classes next year," he smiles, puffing his chest out a little.

"Oh wow! I'm so proud of you! That's awesome news..." I drifted off, trying to think of something else to talk about. "Do you want to see if there is a game on while we wait for Jessica?"

"Sure," he shrugs. I know he wants to talk more... I just don't know how.

I go and sit down where I sat before, on the end of the couch. Jacob sits down next to me, in the middle spot. He smiles when I look at him inquisitively, but says nothing. I flip on the tv and try to find ANY SPORT that will take up some time, here. I would watch competitive cheer leading at this point. I find some football and zone out.

I'm not sure what I was so worried about. Jake is easy to be around. He makes no demands of me. We're sitting in silence, and it's comfortable. It didn't seem like long before we heard Jessica pull up in the driveway, and we walked out to meet her before she could get to the door.

"Hey Jess! I hope you don't mind... I invited Jake to come with us tonight. He's pretty tall, so maybe he should take the front seat," I say.

"Um, yeah, sure. Nice to finally meet you, Jake," she breathes out. She seems hesitant, but she's anything but rude. She would never have told him he couldn't take the seat.

"It's ok, Bella! You can take the front. I'll squeeze in the back, somehow," he chuckles.

I ran and got into the back seat before he could argue more. That's that.

"Shotgun is the DJ?" Jake asks. He is already pulling out her CD case. He is so at home everywhere he goes. I can't help but smile. He puts in a CD of a band I've never heard of. It sounds like Metal.

"When did you start listening to stuff like this, Jessica?" I wondered.

"Oh. Ha. That's not mine. I borrowed some music from Mike. Apparently his brother has, uh... unique tastes. This isn't something I usually listen to..." she trails off, looking expectantly at Jake. He's in the middle of an air guitar solo and doesn't notice. I laugh and then realize that I feel a little better today. I don't feel the need to constantly hold myself together. Then I feel bad again. Sigh. Why do I feel the need to think of him? It's almost like I feel guilty when I feel better.

"You ok back there, Bells? You got quiet all of a sudden," Jacob screams over the music.

"Sure. Yeah! I'm great!" I smile as big as I can. His eyes narrow and I know I'm not fooling him. He knows I'm lying. This is gonna be a long car ride. "Turn it up!" I yell, trying to sound enthusiastic. He shrugs his shoulders and does what I ask. Jessica sighs audibly, and looks annoyed. Oh well.

By the time we get to Port Angeles, my ears are throbbing from the loud music. Jessica climbs out of her car and snaps, "Thank GOD!" and I look at Jake and roll my eyes. He laughs quietly.

We walk up to the theater and notice that if we don't want to be out until really late, there are only two movies to choose from. Face Punch, and Love Spelled Backwards is Love. Jessica is outvoted, and we buy our tickets to Face Punch. I'm not in the mood for some mushy love stuff. Besides, I didn't want to give Jake the wrong idea. He's always looked at me admiringly. Don't want to feed that, when I can't even hold myself together.

When we get into the theater, I sit on the end, and Jacob is directly after me so he takes the seat next to me. Jessica takes the seat on the other side of Jake, looking annoyed again. I look over at her during the movie a few times, and notice her sneaking appreciative glances at Jacob's new physique. I can't say I blame her. It is quite impressive. He's grown at least 3 inches since the last time I saw him. I'm not quite sure how. And probably packed on 20 lbs of muscle. His six pack shows easily through his fitted shirt. What's not to like? I catch her eye and she blushes and looks away. Maybe I could set them up? Jacob's hand sits open on the armrest between us, looking like an invitation. I put my hands in my lap and look back to the movie.

The movie ends and we get up to go outside, but Jake says he's not feeling so well and needs to stop by the bathroom. He comes out, having splashed water on his face, saying he felt really hot. Jessica's eyebrows shot up about a mile in agreement, but she didn't say a word. Walking down the sidewalk back to our car, there were some bikers down the alley that were catcalling Jessica and I. I guess Jake doesn't look so menacing when you have a whole group with you. I stop and look at them, thinking they look familiar, and recognize them as the guys who Edward saved me from the last time I was here.

"Bells, just keep walking. Not far to the car," Jacob said.

But what is more interesting is the face of the man who had left me here to die, appearing a short distance away, who whispers, "Keep walking, Bella."

Time ceases. I feel like I've been punched in the gut, all of my breath leaves me.

"Hold on. I think I recognize those guys."

"Yeah, Bella, they look like really fine, upstanding citizens. You probably recognize them from all of the volunteer work they do in the community," Jacob says snarkily.

I take off running towards them, and the image of Edward appears again, "Turn around, Bella! This is dangerous."

I turn around to see Jacob shaking. He doesn't look so well. Jessica is gobsmacked, standing still with her mouth open. I run further and one of the guys says, "Hey boys, looks like we got a taker!"

I look him in the face and Edward says, "Please, Bella. You promised you would be careful!"

"And you promised it would be like you never existed," I exhale as I go to climb on the back of his bike. I hear a yell and stop.

"Isabella Swan! Come back here. Now," Jacob almost barked out. I've never heard such anger and authority in his voice. Jessica looks over at him and looks shocked. I'm shocked, myself. So shocked, in fact, that Edward disappears. I come back to myself and realize what a crazy choice this is. I turn around and walk away.

"Your loss, baby!" the guy shouts after me. I take off running at that.

Jake looks relieved, but he is still shaking. "I need to get home, Bells. I don't feel so good."

He is silent the entire way home. There is no music. I'm worried but every time I try to talk to him, he just kind of growls at me. We drop him off at his house in La Push and head back to Forks. Jessica doesn't even try to make conversation. I think she might be mad at me.

When we pull up in front of my house, Charlie's cruiser is in the driveway.

"Bella... Maybe next time we can go shopping or something. Um... Alone? Also, maybe no running towards creepy guys next time. You really scared me," she said, looking more annoyed than worried. I get it. I would be upset, too.

"I'm sorry, Jess. Sure, that sounds great. I'll get back with you about a good day. Thanks for picking me up and being ok with Jake coming," I say brightly.

"Yeah, sure. See you later," she answers, then I close her door. Walking back up to my house, I think that maybe I should call Jake and check on him. It is a little late, but Billy doesn't mind when I call. I walk in and see Charlie asleep in his recliner. He works so hard that I don't have the heart to wake him. I take the blanket off of the back of the couch and toss it over him. I take out my cell and head up the stairs to try to call Jacob.

"Black residence," Billy's voice answers.

"Hey Billy, it's Bella. I was calling to check on Jake. When we dropped him off, he wasn't feeling too well. I just wanted to see how he is. Can I talk to him?"

"Oh. Um, well, he went right to sleep. Sorry, Bella. I'll have him call you when he can."

"Thanks, Billy. Goodnight!" I hang up the phone and get ready for bed.

I almost forgot about how miserable I was. Looking around my room, everything reminds me of Edward. The stereo where my CD that Edward made me used to play on repeat. This bed, where he gave me my first kiss. The window where he climbed in and out, night after night, to hold me while I slept. I sink down to the floor and hug my knees to my chest. It's going to be a long night.

 **Like I said, I felt the need to repeat some of her work, in my words. How did I do? I know I strayed a little already, and some things will be out of order as far as the timeline goes. Now for a surprise and a bit of building :)**

 **Thank you guys!**


	2. Chapter 2: Black Hole Sun

Chapter 2

 **A/N: Ok guys. I wish that I could have done more on this one, but I didn't want to make it too long. It would have been way longer if I would have kept going. I would love for someone to review, feel free to tell me what I should do differently, or even if the story is maybe sticking too close to S.M.'s. We'll be departing that in this next chapter :)**

I wake up, screaming, with Charlie bear hugging me. I see on his face that he's worn down. He doesn't know what else to do. I try my best to calm myself down, but now I'm hyperventilating from crying so damn hard.

"D-Daddy, I'm so s-s-sorry! I don't know h-how to make it STOP-P!" I cry, throat tearing sobs wracking my body. "P-p-please just g-go," I try to get out. He shakes his head at me.

"No, Bells. This isn't normal. This isn't ok. I can't let you do this to yourself! Tomorrow, I'm making an appointment with the therapist that I saw when your mother left. There has to be something we can do. For now... I think maybe you should just sleep on the couch so I can get to you easier. I'll sleep in the recliner. We'll make do."

I feel myself being picked up, and I try not to make him drop me by heaving to catch my breath. I put my arms around his neck and let loose all of the crying I have tried to hold in around him for the last month.

"Daddy, he left me! He j-just left me in there! He told me he n-n-never loved me. He said he didn't want me. He never loved me, D-Daddy. What do I do n-now?!" the words just spill out of my mouth.

Charlie sits me down on the couch and crouches down in front of me. He sees me right now. He really sees me. He puts his hands on my knees and squeezes.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you will get through this. I promise that Edward is not your great love. You will love someone else, more than you ever thought you could. You are still so young. I know, I know that you loved him. I am not taking from that. I am telling you... That Edward Cullen, that slimebag, he is NOT the last man that you will love. I will make sure of that," the last part, under his breath. "Listen, Bells, it's after 3 in the morning. I have to be at work by 5 anyway. I'm going to go get ready, then I'll come back and wake you up to see if you need anything for the day. Do you need a shower or are you sleeping longer before school?"

"I took a shower before bed last night. I'll just sleep. Thanks, Dad." 

"Ok, Bella. I'm working a double, so I'll see you before bed. I will be making that call. Maybe you should call Jake and see if he wants to come hang out after school?" he suggests.

"Sure thing, Dad. I'm going to go to sleep now." He ruffles my hair and walks out of the room. I go to sleep, wondering if I should go to school tomorrow, or just skip the day and take a trip to La Push in the morning.

The last few days were a blur of sleep and school. I tried calling Jacob several times, but each time, his dad answered and said that he was still sick and sleeping or resting. I really need some distraction and I really don't want to call Jessica since she seemed so mad at me the other night.

After school, I decide to just drive straight to La Push. I want to check on Jake, and he gets out sooner than I do. I pull up outside of the familiar red house and climb out of my truck. As I walk up to the door, it opens, and Billy wheels himself out.

"Bella! We weren't expecting you! Did you try to call?" he smiles.

"No, I didn't. I just came straight over after school. I figured Jake would be home by now," I said, looking through the door. It looks pretty empty in there. I sigh. "He's not here, huh?"

"No, sorry Bella. He's still sick, and I have some errands to run today. Harry is coming to take me, but I had him run Jake over to his house to sit with Sue while I was gone. He has a fever so I want a close eye kept on him," he says.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Ok, can you just have him call me as soon as he's feeling better?" I ask.

"Of course. No problem. I'll see you later," he says as he's closing the door. It kinda feels like he's rushing me away, but I'm probably just looking too much into it, as usual.

Walking back to my truck, I hear a wolf howl, and I take off at a run, tripping and skinning my knee on the rocks that line the path up to his house.

"Shit!" Ugh. Blood. I almost actually apologize to the air. I have to stop doing that. Thinking of Edward again, I wrap my arms around my middle, trying to hold myself together.

On the way home, I think about what I'll make for dinner. Lately, Charlie has mostly been ordering pizza or Chinese, adding in the occasional meal of the spaghetti I taught him to make. I've been seriously slacking on my daughterly duties, so I'm going to make Charlie's favorite, lasagna. I will probably need to go to the store, I haven't in a pretty long time. At least that will give me something to do before he gets home, and I won't have to call Jessica again so soon.

I get home to check the cabinets and freezer. Yes, I definitely need to go to the store. I check the place Dad leaves money for me to grocery shop. I come up with a $100 bill and thank God that Charlie hasn't given up on me yet.

I get to the store and almost immediately run into Mike Newton. He seriously kinda gets on my nerves, but he sees me, so I can't just hide.

"Bella Swan! Wow. Bella. Ok. So, how are you doing? You haven't really been talking to anyone at school... I try to stop you outside of class sometimes and you just don't see me, I guess. What have you been up to?" he genuinely looks interested.

I can't exactly tell him that I have been recovering from my vampire boyfriend's pretty abrupt departure. I can't tell him that he told me he doesn't love me. That he never loved me. I wrap my arms around my middle again, hoping the feeling goes away soon.

"Oh, you know. School. Home. I was thinking I might try getting a job, maybe for the weekends?"

"Well I could probably help you out with that. We are looking for someone at my parent's store to do a weekend shift and maybe one night through the week. It's not a lot, but it's enough for a little bit of spending money. Come by, I'll put in a good word for you," He winks at me. I have to stop myself for wrinkling my nose. He's such a dork.

"Thanks, Mike. Sure. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Bella," he smiles.

I finish up my shopping and head home to make the lasagna. I drop the groceries in the kitchen and walk up to my room to change into something I can get dirty, in case grease pops or sauce splashes. I reach into my hamper for my red sweater that I wore two days ago. It's not here. Weird. I choose an old shirt that I painted in once in art class, and got paint all over because I tripped. It's ruined anyway.

I put away the groceries and get started on the lasagna. As I'm putting it in the oven, there's a knock on the door. I close the oven and walk to the front door hesitantly. No one has called, so I'm not expecting anyone. I look out of the peephole and see bronze skin. I immediately pull the door open.

"Bella," Jake says with a curt nod. He walks in. Looks around. Walks past me to the stairs. His face is devoid of the smile he normally wears. He looks different, having cut all of his hair off. He seems to have grown another 3 inches or so since the last few days I saw him. He's gotten massive. "Have you had anyone here?"

"Um, hi, Jake. It's nice to see you, too. No, I haven't had anyone here. Why?" I ask, weirded out with his treatment of me.

"So, you haven't invited any bloodsuckers into your house lately?" he sneers.

"Uh, what?" I ask, shocked. I look around, trying to stall. I'm just not sure what to say right now. Surely he's not saying what I think he is.

"You heard me. Don't play dumb, Bella. I know everything! I know all about your precious Cullens! Those leeches have changed everything. They have ruined EVERYTHING! How could you do this? How could you be ok with what they are?" he looks at me angrily.

"Um, Jake, I'm not sure what you are talking about..." I trail off, folding my arms across my middle and squeezing again.

"Bella, stop the lying! Just stop. I know one has been here. Just tell me," he says, getting quieter.

"For your information, I haven't seen any of the Cullens in over a month! Not that it's any of your business," I add, because he's being a dick.

He turns and walks up the stairs to my room, uninvited, and it just pisses me off further.

"What do you think you are doing?" I shout. "You come in here without so much of a 'hi how are you' and are rude to me, then you think you are just going to run up to my bedroom like you own the place?! This is bullshit, Jake!"

"Yeah, well, someone has to watch out for you, since you seem hell bent on hanging out with bloodsucking monsters," he says, disgustedly. He walks around my room and opens my hamper. This definitely feels like a violation of my personal space and I feel uncomfortable with how Jake is acting. This is not him. I look at him and know that he obviously knows about Edward and his family, and I have to figure out how he knows. "Someone has been here," he whispers under his breath.

"Jake... I guess I should come clean and say that I DO know what you are talking about... But I'm not sure how you found out," I start slowly, trying to figure out how to ask him without angering him further.

He hangs his head, and turns his midnight eyes on me. "Bella, I wish I could tell you. I wish so much that I could just tell you everything. But I LITERALLY can't. But if you think... You already know. Just think about it, Bella. Do you remember that day on First Beach? When we took that walk and I told you stories?"

"Oh, yeah," I think back. "Yeah, you told me about the Cold Ones."

"That WOULD be the part you remember," he sighs. "No, that's not it. Just... Try to think for me, ok? Just think about it." He opens my window and I realize what's happening immediately.

"Jake! No! What are you doing? You'll break something!" I scream as he jumps out of my window. I look down to the ground and he's already getting up. He smiles up at me, turns around, and runs away.

 **Thank you guys! I am looking forward to some reviews. I would love to hear some thoughts on how this is panning out. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Leader of the Pack

Chapter 3

 **A/N: A bit of a diversion from the original storyline now. The world and characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, the rest is mine :) Tell me how you feel about it!**

When Jake left last night, I laid awake thinking of our time spent on First Beach. I went over everything that was said, and still, I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. I fell asleep, and woke up, thinking I saw Jake in the corner of my room. When I went to turn on the light, he was gone. I am sure that it was just my brain playing tricks again, just like it did with Edward. I noticed that even though I woke up super early, I didn't have any nightmares last night. Hmmm...

I decided that today, I'm going to skip school, go to the Res, and try to convince Jake to skip, too. I mean, he's going to graduate early. He can afford to skip, right? So it's 6 am, and Charlie got home an hour ago. He's snoring in his recliner, so I left a note on the fridge that I was taking a day. I can't skip and not tell him. I'm the chief's daughter. They call him immediately. I chuckle to myself, knowing he'll appreciate the heads up and will be ok when he learns that I spent the day with Jake.

On my way to La Push, I notice a man on the side of the road, putting some motor bikes out with a paper taped to them that says "scrap metal". I pull over and ask him if he could help me load them in the truck. Those things are HEAVY. He and I get them in, but not without some sweat and swearing. He gives me a tarp for free to tie over them. It rains a lot in Forks, so it was a nice thing for him to do.

I pull up to Jake's and see him walking around outside. It looks like he's picking up some tools from outside of his garage. He looks up at me and his body heaves a sigh. I get a little discouraged but think if he doesn't want to see me, at least he can get the bikes out of the truck. I get out and smile at him.

"Hey, Jake!" I walk up to hug him, but he lacks his usual happiness. He one arms me, and pats me on the back. "Hey man, I have a surprise for you!" I say as I take the tarp off of the bikes.

"Um, scrap metal. Thanks," he looks a little uncomfortable.

"No! I mean, yes, but I saw them on the way over and thought maybe we could skip school today and try to rebuild them. You, obviously, not me. I want to assist! I'll hand you tools. Once you teach me what they are," I laugh conspiratorially.

"Well, I guess I could skip today... But I do have a date later. So, I'll need time to get ready for that," he says quietly.

"Oh, wow, Jake. A date, huh? Who's the lucky lady? Do I know her? I'll bet she's super hot, right? Only the best for Jacob Black," I nudge him to add effect. I don't know why, but I'm a little jealous. I play it off as best I can, thinking I just miss being wanted by someone. I cringe a little and wrap my arms around my middle.

"Yeah, so, let's get these bikes out!" he laughs. His smile doesn't quite reach his eyes when he looks at me.

"Careful, Jake. Those are really heavy-" I start, but he's already taking them out of the back of the truck like they weigh nothing. "Um, Jake... You are like, super buff. When did this happen? And you have a tattoo!" I notice as he turns to put the second bike on the ground.

"Oh, yeah. I did. It's a Quileute tribal thing. So... uh, did you get a chance to think over what I was talking about last night?" he asks.

"I did. I'm going to need some more help, Jake," I am genuinely confused. Just as I say this, I hear a wolf howl. Jake looked over towards the sound. Following his gaze I notice a group of really large russet skinned men. I recognize one as the warm arms who held me that night in the woods. I squeeze myself a little harder. "Some friends of yours?"

"Um, not really. But I do need to go talk to them, so just stay here," he mumbles, walking in their direction.

I watch him start to jog and reach them rather quickly, and see the strained expressions and tense postures of them all. One of them jerks his head my way and spits on the ground at Jacob's feet. I start to run their way, seeing the hostility rising up and hoping I can somehow calm Jake before it escalates.

Right as I get close enough to start hearing their conversation, I notice the one that's almost as big as Jake yelling at one of the others, who is shaking violently. He has a frightening look on his face, and I try to run up to get between them.

"Paul, calm down! Please, get a hold of yourself!" he and Jake suddenly look my way and at the same time yell, "Stay back!"

"Bella, no! Go back to your truck!" shouts Jake, raising his hand to point to the red beast. He looks back to the rest of the group and starts kicking his shoes off. I'm confused by this gesture, and scrunch my face up and tilt my head to the side. There is a sudden explosion of shredded clothing and a large wolf lands on the ground in front of Jake, where the shaking man had stood.

"Jake! RUN! Oh my God, RUN!" I scream, backing up quickly. Immediately there is another explosion of clothing shreds, and I see the other 3 men shaking their heads.

"Looks like the wolf is out of the bag!" one laughs loudly. I see no humor in this. I'm certain that if I had eaten this morning, it would have come up pretty quickly.

"Take Bella back to Emily's, guys," the large one says. He must be the leader of their little group. Pack? Oh Jesus.

I think about just running back to my truck and hightailing it out of here, because this is the strangest shit I've seen all week. But then, I think, yeah, I dated a vampire, so... I sigh and wait for the two smaller ones to approach me, and I realize that I've met them before, that day on First Beach. I think their names are Embry and Quil.

"I have 5 on Paul, Quil!" Embry exclaimed.

"No way, Jake's a natural! He'll take him easy. I've got your 5!" said Quil.

They both climb in my truck like they've known me forever, and look at me like I'm holding them up. Quil sits in the driver's seat, and puts his hand out of the window, I'm guessing for the keys to the beast. I hand them to him, walk around the front of the truck, and climb in on the passenger side. He backs up and takes the truck further into the Res, arguing with Embry about who is the better fighter out of Paul and Jake. When we pull up to Emily's house, I'm still reeling with shock.

"Whatever you do, don't stare at Emily's face. Sam doesn't like it," says Embry. I get out of the truck and follow the boys up to the front door, where they just walk in without knocking.

"Hey boys! Are you hungry? Oh, who am I kidding? You're always hungry! Save some for your brothers! And ladies first!" Emily smiles as she looks up from her baking. "You must be the vampire girl. Would you like a muffin?"

"Um, sure. Thank you. Technically, I guess I'm not the vampire girl anymore. But you must be the wolf girl," I try to smile as I squeeze my middle.

She laughs. "I guess so!" and hands me a muffin. The boys dive into the basket she is holding and she laughs like this is just typical behavior. She sets the basket with the rest of the muffins on the counter and starts to walk towards me. "It's nice to finally meet you, Bella!" she says and hugs me.

"Oh, so you've heard a lot about me, then?" I ask.

"Who hasn't?" says Embry. "'I miss Bella', 'I wish Bella would call'."

Quil starts in as the door opens behind me,"'I wish Bella WOULDN'T call', 'I wonder how Bella is doing?' We all hear Jake's inner monologue."

I sit confused, until Embry answers my thoughts, "We have the ability to hear each other's thoughts while we are wolves. We call it the pack mind!"

"Jake is right. You are good with weird shit," says Sam. He looks worn down. Tired. Jake and Paul run in the door after him, pushing each other and laughing. Jake smiles his bright smile at me, and I feel the light shine from his face. He looks down at my arms tightened around my middle and furrows his brow a little. I loosen them and let them hang at my sides. "I thought for sure that Jake would be the one to get you to come to the truth, Bella. We could see that he was trying to find a way past the gag order. Paul here is still working on his temper."

"I'm sorry, Bella!" Paul smiles at me. I nod my head and pull a half smile so that he knows he is forgiven.

"Yeah so now you know... I'm sorry that I have been a bit secretive and hostile. The phase makes you a little aggressive. We need to talk. Who was the leech in your room yesterday? We tried to chase the red head down last night, but she jumped in the water. Bloodsuckers have the advantage in the water, because they don't feel the need to fucking breathe," Jake says roughly. "So we couldn't exactly have a conversation with her. We couldn't figure out what she was after."

I'm stock still as I realize that he's talking about Victoria. I clear my throat.

"Um, well... She's... She's after me," I breathe out. I start relaying the story from the beginning, feeling a little like I'm betraying Edward and Alice, when I talk about how he can read minds and she sees the future.

There are choruses of "Shit!" and "Damn!" as I tell my story, and when I end at how Edward left me in the forest, Jake is physically shaking. I recognize this as a warning before the phase. I back up, a little scared. Jacob's eyes look up at me, remorseful, and his shaking quells. He takes my hand and pulls me close to him.

"We need to find a way to protect you," he says quietly. I look up at him and know it is the truth, but I'm doubtful that there is much that he can do about it.

"Jake, vampires are dangerous. You can't just fight them. They are so fast, you can't catch them," I say shakily.

"Yeah, well, we're faster! We took out that freak with the dreads, didn't we, boys?" Embry says excitedly.

"Yes we DID!" laughed out Paul. These people laugh at the oddest things. I look up at Sam, and he seems lost in thought. He lifts his head and starts to speak.

"Ok boys, this is how it's gonna go. I'm going to call Billy and Harry. We're keeping Bella on the Reservation. She can take turns staying with each of us. Paul and I will take turns waiting outside of her school so nothing catches us off guard. I'm sorry, Bella, I know that will make it a bit of a drive for you," he says apologetically.

"Um, that isn't going to work for me. What about Charlie? He knows nothing about this. I can't just leave him at home! That's the first place Victoria will go to look for me!" I worry aloud.

"Ok, Sam, I'll take this one... Uh, Bella, we need to go talk. Follow me, please," says Jake, pulling my hand with him towards the door.

Confused, I follow Jacob out of Emily's house. We start walking slowly towards the sound of the crashing waves. I remember from the drive over that the beach isn't far from here. When we get to First Beach, Jake walks over to the tree we sat on the last time I was here. Our tree. I look up at him expectantly.

"Alright, where to start? So, ah, Charlie knows about us. The wolves, that is," he pauses so that I can take it in. I know I look completely shocked. "Well, Bells, he's been dad's best friend for decades. He grew up knowing the legends. I mean... He was a detective, for fuck's sake. He put some things together, confronted dad about it, and dad told him it was true. He didn't REALLY believe him until he phased in front of him, though."

"So, you knew all of this time that you were going to turn into this... thing? A werewolf?" I ask, wondering how that must have been growing up.

"Well, technically, I did, yes. I didn't really believe it, though. Not until Sam phased. See, Dad was in a wheelchair by the time I was 8. Before then, Mom wouldn't let me see him phase, saying it could traumatize me. She was probably right about that. Then he stopped phasing because he couldn't run. He was the Alpha of the pack, and he was butthurt because he couldn't keep up, so he kinda just passed off Alpha to Harry on the side. Oh, and we're actually shapeshifters, and not werewolves. There's no biting or turning other people," he sees my look of confusion and extrapolates further. "Yes, Harry has the gene as well. He stopped running a while ago, too. Bad ticker," he said, thumping his chest.

"So Chief of the tribe and Alpha aren't the same thing?" I ask, genuinely interested.

"Well, yes and no. The bloodline of the chief of the tribe is the Alpha of the pack... Unless they don't want it. Then they can give it to someone else..." he trails off, looking into the distance.

"Jake, does that make you Alpha? Are you the leader of the pack?" I laugh at my song reference. Renee would be proud. He sighs and looks at me.

"I handed it off to Sam. He was Alpha before I phased, and I let him keep it. He was willing to hand the reins over without a challenge, but I don't want to be a wolf at all, much less the leader of a group of them. I can't take that kind of responsibility when I hate this so damn much," he says dejectedly.

"And does Charlie know about the vampires? I can't see him knowing and still letting me leave with Edward," I wrap my arms around my middle, holding myself together.

"Ah, well that's complicated. Like I said, he does KNOW the legends, I'm sure he has had some suspicions, but I don't think that he knows that the Cullens are leeches," he looks down at my arms. "Bells, every time something comes up about them, you wrap your arms around yourself. I know you are sad. What's going on?"

"I just... Well I kinda feel like I'm going to fly apart sometimes. Like I need to hold all of the pieces in," I say, feeling silly.

"Honey, you don't ever have to hold yourself together for me. If you fly apart, I will pick up your pieces and put them together again.," he says, moving his face closer to mine. I shift uncomfortably on the log and turn my face a little. He smirks a little and pulls back into his own space.

"Ok, so how do we go about doing this? I was going to try to get a job at Newtons. Mike told me to come in and he would put in a good word for me. Do you think I shouldn't get the job? I really need the extra money. I feel like I'm putting such a burden on Charlie," I sigh.

"I don't see why you can't. I think you should try to live as normal a life as possible," he says.

"There is NOTHING normal about this," I laugh out.

"If you do, though, we'll need a copy of your schedule. I hate to encroach on your privacy, but we need to know where you are at all times, so we can protect you. And now that the Cullens are gone, we can protect you off of the Res, too. It's just easier to keep you here because there are more of us here, and we have a constant patrol around the border. I guess I should take you home so that you can tell Charlie what is going on," he says as he's getting up.

"Yes, I would LOVE to hear his take on this," I say snarkily. Who wouldn't want the chance to explain to their dad that I dated a vampire and now one is trying to kill me to get back at him?

 **Ok guys, what did you think? How do you think Charlie will react to the news about the vampires? Leave a review and let me know! :) Thanks, guys!**


	4. Chapter 4: A Marshmallow World

Chapter 4: A Marshmallow World

 **A/N: Hey you people! So this chapter is mostly just filling Charlie in and building some other things. I plan to post another chapter tomorrow if I can get a review or two at least :) Help a sista out! Tell me how I'm doing! 3**

We drive past my house, but Charlie's cruiser isn't there. It's only about noon, so I ask Jake if he would mind waiting in the truck while I run in to Newtons to get an application. He has no problem with it, so I drive towards town. On the way, I call Charlie on my cell.

"Hey Bells! Everything ok?" he asks distractedly.

"Yeah, Dad! Hey, when are you going to be home? You were asleep when I left this morning, so I thought you would still be there now," I tell him.

"I got called in to the station. Someone found another hiker dead. Are you alone? If you're alone I want you home," he says worriedly.

"Jake is with me. I'm heading to Newtons to get an application, actually. I am going to try to get a job, and Mike said he'd put in a good word for me."

"You know you don't have to work, Bells. School is your job. I don't care how old you are. If you're in school, you don't need to work," he says. Always the traditionalist.

"I just want some extra spending money, Dad. I know you would give it to me if I asked. But I also think that getting out of the house to do something productive will be good for me. I won't get the job if you really don't want me to, but I am not only doing this for the money."

"Ok, Bells," he says, and I know I've hit a soft spot. He doesn't want me going backwards. "Go ahead and apply for the job. I need to replace the tires on your truck though, if you're going to be going up that hill to the store. No, don't argue!" he says, when I try to tell him I will be ok until I get the money. I know better than to say anything else, so I let it go. He loves me, and this is me, loving him.

"Thank you, Dad. Will you be leaving work soon? I need to talk to you about something else," I say, trying to sound upbeat and not at all too serious.

"I should be done in about 20 minutes. I'll meet you at the house?" he says it like a question. "Will Jake still be with you? Maybe he can stay for dinner, we can catch a game until then or something."

"He's going to stay for a little while, but he has to get going. He has a DATE tonight," I say, looking over at Jacob and waggling my eyebrows.

"Well good for him! I'll see you in a little while, Bella," he says.

"Sure, Dad," I answer, hanging up. "Jacob, you never did tell me who you were going on a date with..." I look over at him expectantly.

"I'll talk to you about that later. Right now, you need to go get your application. Feel free to fill it out. I heard Charlie say he wouldn't be leaving for another 20 minutes. It's snowing out, and us wolves run at a toasty one-oh-eight. I'll be fine," he smiles.

"Thanks, Jake," I pull up in front of the sports and camping equipment store and look in the mirror. I don't quite look like I've had the best day of my life. I look tired.

I can see that Mike has noticed I pulled up. No one else has a truck like mine here. I walk in and he's waiting by the door.

"Bella! Hey! Have you come to apply for the job? Your skin doesn't say that you spend much time outside, so I doubt you are here to buy equipment!" he chuckles at his little joke. I stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Yep, I'm here to fill out the application!" I smile winningly. I hope. It seems to work, because Mike is looking at me like I'm chum and he's a shark. Yay. Sigh. "Who do I need to meet? Can you give it to me?"

His eyes get big and he chokes back a laugh. Yes. Hilarious. I really should think before I speak around some people. I laugh a little like I think it's funny, too, and follow him as he turns and walks towards the front desk, which has an open door behind it.

"Wait here," he says, and goes into the door. A man that I'm assuming is his dad walks out and smiles brightly at me.

"So you are the chief's daughter, Bella Swan? I've heard a lot about you. My name is Jim, I'm Mike's dad. It's very nice to meet you," he says, offering his hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, sir," I say with a smile on my face. I've never smiled so much in my life. My face is going to be sore. I take his hand, gingerly. I'm a bit awkward in handshakes, but I do my best and try not to take my hand back too quickly. "I came to inquire after a job. Are you hiring right now?"

"Well it is winter. We do have some people who camp in winter, but there aren't a whole lot. We do need someone to watch the store for a few hours one day out of the weekend and one night a week. It probably won't be more than 10 hours a week. If you are agreeable, you can fill out the application and I will just call you hired. Mike speaks very highly of you."

"Wow, thanks, Mr. Newton!" I assented. He wrote down the days I would be needed on a piece of paper, and told me to just bring the application back when I returned for my first shift, which was Sunday evening, two nights from now.

Walking towards the door, Mike runs and catches up to me. "Hey, uh, can I talk to you really quick?" he asked.

"Sure, Mike, what's up?"

"So, I was wondering if you are free tonight? I was thinking, maybe a movie?" he hedged.

"Well..." I start to think of a way to reject him without being mean. I have to work with him. But... Well maybe a date is a good idea. Normal life, right? "Um, ok, sure. Yeah. I'm good with that."

"Awesome! I'll pick you up around 5? We can get a quick bite to eat before."

"Yeah, ok! See you then," I smile.

I head back to my truck and see Jacob sneering towards Mike. "What a marshmallow!" he roared. He seemed to get a real kick out of it. Getting in the truck, I look over at him, and his eyes widen. He hoots loudly, "Holy shit! He just fist pumped! What did you do to him?"

"I agreed to go out with him tonight," I mumbled. "And I got the job," I beam.

"You... You did what?" he asks, and his face falls. He looks disappointed. Sad, even.

"He asked me to the movies. Where are you going on your date?" I try to remind him that he's going to be busy tonight, too.

"We're going to the movies, too. This is our fifth date... I, uh... I guess I'll at least be able to keep an eye on you while we're both there. If we're not in the same movie, I'll still be able to smell a leech in the building."

"Fifth date? Where have you been keeping her? Who is this mystery girl?" I had a thought and said, "Oh, is it Harry's daughter?"

"Nope... Actually, it's a friend of yours. Um, Jessica."

"Jessica," I repeat. "Jessica Stanley? You're dating Jessica Stanley? Class President, highest GPA, Jessica Stanley is dating badass wolfboy Jacob Black. You're kidding me."

"We're not so different, she and I," He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, looking slightly mollified. He was worried that I would be upset. That's why he avoided my questions about this, earlier.

"So, have you, YOU know," I whistle as I make a hole with my finger and thumb, and put my finger from my other hand through it. I wiggle my eyebrows up and down, trying to hide my real feelings about this situation. "I thought for sure she thought you were obnoxious!"

He laughs at me, looking a tad embarrassed. I've never seen this look on Jake, and it's totally endearing. He shrugs again and opens his mouth. He closes it again and looks down.

"I'm not so sure I should talk about this with you, Bells," he stammered. "The wolf wants what it wants. Even if the heart wants something different." With his eyelids lowered, he gazes up at me through his lashes and my heart skips a beat.

"Charlie is probably home by now. We should head back," I blurt out.

The ride home was mostly silent, and when I pulled up, the cruiser was in its spot in front of the house. Walking in, I noticed Charlie sitting in the La-Z-Boy like usual. Charlie is a creature of habit.

"Hey guys! What did you want to talk about, honey?" he asked.

"Well, I found out about the wolves today, Dad. And I got a job. It's been a big day. Yay me," I say sarcastically. I wait for Charlie's reaction, but he doesn't really have one.

"Yeah, that was bound to happen, I guess," he shrugged, no hint of surprise on his face. He looked at Jake and asked, "Has she seen you phase yet? Man, that's a trip! It's so crazy!"

"Are you kidding?" I almost shout. "You couldn't clue me in on this? Did you have any idea that the Cullens were vampires? I was dating a VAMPIRE, Dad. I know crazy." There. That's the reaction I expected.

"What the HELL?!" he screamed. If I hadn't known that he is human, I would have thought he was about to phase, he was shaking so hard. "You knowingly put yourself in danger, and you want to be upset with ME about not sharing a secret with you that wasn't mine to share?! He could have killed you, Isabella!" I have never seen Charlie this angry, and it's scary.

"It wasn't MY secret to share, either, and now I'm in danger again, Dad," I start, stepping back to give him some room. Not because I'm scared, but because his voice is SUPER loud right now and I can't deal. Thanks, anxiety. Jacob is standing quietly beside me, and he steps forward now. He starts explaining to Charlie about what is going on, and how they are going to keep me on the Res to try to keep me safe. They are going to accommodate my dad, too, and he will stay with the Clearwaters, if he is ok with it, of course. There will be shifts of wolves on the perimeter round the clock, and Jacob will be available to me at all times, my personal watchdog. I smirk a little at his wording.

"Ok. So Bella will definitely be better protected on the Res than anywhere else I can put her. I'm good with that. But I don't want to put out Harry-" he begins, but Jake interrupts him.

"Charlie, really. You are putting no one out. These people are your friends and want you safe. Please pack up some stuff guys, I'm supposed to have you back by 4. Bella and I have a date, and we need to get ready," says Jake.

At this, Charlie's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened. A much bigger reaction than that to the news of me finding out about the pack.

"You guys are dating now?"

"Oh, no, he misstated that, Dad," I explain. "We both have dates, with different people, at the same place. I am meeting Mike here, so I actually need to go back with Jake, wait for him to finish getting ready, and he will have to follow me back here since I can't be alone. Jake, do you think you can get Jess to just drive to my house and maybe we can carpool to save gas?"

Charlie starts laughing about halfway through my explanation. He is roaring, slapping his leg, and holds his finger up in the 'wait a minute' gesture, trying to catch his breath.

"Mike?! Mike Newton? That marshmallow?" my eyes narrow a little as Jacob joins in on the laughter.

"That's what I said!" he chuckles with Dad.

"Bells, I have to be honest," he says, wiping his eyes, "I never thought you'd give that pansy a chance. And Jake... Jessica. I can see that. She's actually a great girl. Maybe not your type, really," Charlie's eyes flicked over to me subtly. "But I can see it. Ok, you kids have fun with that. I'll start packing, and you should, too, honey. Oh, by the way, I made that appointment for you with the therapist. You go in Monday at 4, so you don't have to miss school."

"Thanks Dad," I sigh and roll my eyes.

I walk up the stairs and Jacob follows me, and sits on my bed. As I am shuffling around trying to pack up, I trip and fall directly onto Jake, and he catches me on his chest. His breath is warm on my face, and I think that maybe, I won't stop him if he tries to kiss me. Maybe, this is how it's supposed to be. I close my eyes and lean in, and pull back immediately when I hear Charlie stomping up the stairs. I shake my head quickly, breaking the fog that had invaded my thoughts. Jacob's arms slacken and I stand up.

When I finish packing up, it is around 1. If we leave now, we won't have to rush, so I go to tell Charlie that I would check in on him later at Harry's. I'm staying at Jake's tonight, so I will call. He assents and gives me a kiss on my head before I walk out the door. Jacob is silent the whole time, tells Charlie bye, and climbs into the passenger side of the beast so we can head to his house. He looks contemplative on the ride over, and I don't want to interrupt him because I know what this is. It's just not the right time. Mike is easy. Jake... He won't take a fun, simple date. Jake is a forever guy. Jake doesn't deserve broken.

 **Hope you like it! Don't forget to review, follow, favorite, just let me know that you like it or even what you don't. I'd really like to post another chapter tomorrow, but I have a fundraiser so it will be later on in the evening. Watch for it! Thanks for reading! :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Magic Man

Chapter 5: Magic Man

 **A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

 **Answering the review from Serenity1006- In this AU, Jake doesn't take too long to phase back. I'm sorry that I didn't make that clearer. I thought by putting him at Bella's the next day, that it would show he recovered quickly. I'm sorry! Now you know :) Also, this chapter will explain about the dates that Jake was talking about, and how they fit them all in.**

 **Thanks again, guys!**

We arrive at his house, seeing that Billy was out and had left a note. Jake starts making phone calls. The first to Harry, to tell him to expect Charlie soon. He asks Harry to inform Leah, who phased recently as well, to tell the pack that things are going as planned. The second call was more interesting to hear.

"Jessica, hi! It's Jacob. Yes, I know you know who it is. It's habit. So, I was wondering... Bella is helping me study at her house this afternoon. She has a date tonight too, at the same place, and her truck isn't working, so I told her I would give her and her date a ride. Would you mind meeting me at her house?" he grimaces a little. I don't need super hearing to know that she isn't happy with this arrangement. Then it hits me. She and Mike had a sort of thing a couple of years ago. Oh man, this is going to be SO weird. Jake and I will be fine, but Mike and Jess are going to make it awkward. I should have called her and asked her if it was ok.

Apparently she assented, because Jake doesn't say anything else before telling her he would see her later and hanging up. He gave me a thumbs up and walked to his bedroom. I followed him, sitting on his bed, as a kind of mocking joke. He stopped and looked at me, giving a half smile and reaching out his hand to me. I took it and pulled him towards me, scooting over as I did so, making room for him to sit. I lean my head to the side and lay it on his shoulder. He reaches up with the hand that isn't holding mine, and strokes my hair.

"Are you ok, honey?" he asks me quietly.

"I'm always ok when I'm with you, Jake. You make me feel better," I whisper. My heart starts thumping in my chest, my brain running wild with the possibilities of what he would say next.

He surprised me, when he didn't say anything at all. His hand moved from my hair to the side of my face, and rested there while he turned his body towards me. I looked up at him, knowing that again, I was letting this go. If he kisses me now, I will let him. No fight. I miss being held, I miss being loved. I know that Jake will be careful with my heart.

He leans forward, inching his face towards mine, his breath warming my lips. I can sense his hesitation, I can feel that he needs me to move forward that last inch. I ease myself forward, and our mouths touch, a whisper of butterfly's wings. He moves back and looks me in the eyes, longingly, and pulls me towards him with the strength of a wolf. Our bodies meld together, Jacob's lips moving against mine, and I feel like I'm home.

My hands move to the back of his head, going through his newly cropped hair. They travel down and I'm running my hands under his shirt, about to slip it over his head, when my phone rings.

"DAMMIT!" yells Jake. "Who is it, Bells?" he asks, out of breath.

I pull my phone from my pocket. "It's Mike. OH MY GOD. Mike! Jessica! Oh, Jake! What are we doing? I have to take this!" I pull away from him, and it's almost physically painful.

"Hey, Mike!" I answer enthusiastically. Jake looks pissed.

"Bella! I was just making sure we are still on for 5?" Mike asks. Jacob can apparently hear him because he is shaking his head, telling me to cancel.

"Of course, Mike," I say, and Jacob deflates. He looks dejected, and gets up to start getting ready again.

"Going to go take a shower!" Jake yells loudly, I'm sure for Mike's benefit.

"Um, who is that? That doesn't sound like Chief Swan," he snapped.

"Oh, I'm at Jacob Black's house. He's giving us a ride to our date. He and Jessica have a date tonight at the movies as well, and the truck isn't working," I answer.

He hesitates. "Jacob Black. Right. Jessica Stanley? Really? We can all take the van if you want, I guess."

"Well, Jake is kinda big, so he needs to sit in the front seat. I figured you might want to sit next to me, so this does that. Jess will sit up front with him," problem solver, that's me.

"Ok, but I'm still meeting you at your house? La Push is a little out of my way..." Mike trails off.

"Yes, we will all be there. I gotta go. See you later," I concluded. He said goodbye and I hung up.

I sit in the wake of the silence, followed by the white noise that is Jake's shower. I am truly thinking about walking in and asking if he wants company, knowing exactly where that will lead. My brain is screaming no, and my heart moves my feet. I walk to the bathroom door and notice that it's cracked. I open the door the rest of the way, and move in, not announcing myself. I sit on the closed toilet, putting his towel on my lap, and try to work up the nerve. I sit for a good 5 minutes before getting up and deciding to just get on with it. I've always been super self conscious about my body, so I'm having to talk myself into this. I put Jake's towel back on the toilet, and take off my shirt.

"Bella," I hear from the shower. "Don't do it, if you don't mean it. Please."

That's when I come to the realization that he's been able to hear me in here this whole time. Head and heart battle again, and brain wins out. I'm thoroughly embarrassed, and put my shirt back on in a hurry. As I'm running out of the bathroom, I hear him smack the wall.

I wait in the living room, on the couch, not wanting to take the chance of waiting in his room. I hear the shower shut off after a couple of minutes, and see Jake walk from the bathroom to his bedroom, with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looks amazing. I can't stop from staring, wondering why I was ever so damn silly to answer Mike's phone call.

He comes out of his room, looking like the sexiest thing I've ever seen, and smelling just as good. I am kicking myself right now.

"Me and my big fucking mouth, right?" he chuckles with self deprecation. More like me and my big anxiety. I smile at him and look down, embarrassed again, and try not to give in to the urge to jump on him. I think there's a wolf inside me, too. I sigh.

"You ready to go? I need to get ready. We'll have to take the Rabbit, since you are taking all of us in it," I remind him.

"Yeah. Um, are you sure about this, Bells? You really want to go on a date with Mike 'The Marshmallow' Newton? Maybe you want to hold out for someone, I don't know... Manlier?" he smirks a little at this thought.

"Mike is plenty manly enough, Jake. He IS quite annoying, but I'm hoping it's because he's been wanting to date me for so long. I think he might tone it down a little if he's not trying so hard," I chuckle.

"Are you sure he's your type? What is so special about him? Is he Harry Potter or something? I mean, vampires, werewolves, there's gotta be a wizard in here somewhere!" he teased. I wrap my arms around myself at the thought of Edward again. Ouch. That hurt a little. "Shit, sorry," he apologizes. I press my lips into a thin line and grit my teeth.

"And Jessica is yours? When exactly did you start dating her? How in the fuck did you get 4 dates in, when she couldn't stand you last weekend?"

"Well, the animal appeal is strong, Bells," he laughed, winking. "Ok, maybe it's more like 4 times she showed up to my house to check on me, and she ended up in my bed. I figured it was time to take her out and show her a good time."

"Let's just get going! I need to get ready!" I yell, trying not to be incredibly jealous.

Back at my house, I tell Jake to just park in Charlie's spot since he won't be back. I unlock the door and tell Jake that there's leftover lasagna in the fridge since I know he hasn't eaten lunch yet.

"I'm going to take a shower," I tell him, and his eyes sparkle at that admission.

"Is that an invitation, Miss Swan?" he asks. My legs turn to jello. My heart is pounding. He walks closer and puts his hand on my arm, pulling me towards him. "I can hear your heart beating. I can feel the effect I have on you. I make you nervous. Don't ignore it, Bella. Don't ignore me."

"You can join me if you can tell Jessica about it while we are out tonight," I tell him, and Jake is nothing if not loyal. I know this will deter him.

"You know that Jessica and I aren't official, right? We've never spoken of exclusivity. I am a free agent. I can do whatever I want."

"But you won't. Not if I won't start it. You have this thing with Jessica, and I'm dating other people, too," I sigh. "I'm broken, Jake. I'm not good enough for you," I say, and start up the stairs. He stands there, looking confused, but gives me my space.

When I get out of the shower I can hear the TV going downstairs. I am tempted to walk down there and hold his hand, to have him comfort me. I'm selfish. He's way too good for me. When I told him so, I expected him to tell me I was wrong. I thought he would chase me, help me to see that I'm wrong. This just proves the point further. I'm terrible.

I finish up my hair and start to apply light makeup before I get fully dressed. Bra and panties only, since makeup dust gets everywhere. I can't stand the silence, so I turn on my 'get pumped' mix cd. Putting the cd in doesn't even cause my heart to twinge. The 80's girl band Heart starts blaring Barracuda. I'm a fan of older music. Halfway through the song there are 2 raps on my door, with the second one causing the already cracked door to fly the rest of the way open. I start to cover myself, then realize that Jake has seen more of me than this, at the beach.

"Sorry, Bells!" he shouts, "I'm still getting used to my strength. I didn't think it would open the door up." His eyes are bulging, but he's not looking away.

"Uh, Jake, kinda not dressed here." I'm not wearing a thong or anything lacy, so it's similar to a bikini. But I guess that might be a little different in the mind of a guy who just walked in on a girl in her bedroom.

"Bella," he whispers. He crosses the room in three strides, grabs my hand, and looks into my eyes intensely. "You are more than good enough for ANYONE. I don't know what that leech did to convince you otherwise. HE was the one who wasn't good enough."

The song changes, and Magic Man starts playing. He comes to his senses and realizes that I look half mortified. He turns around quickly, lets out a giant huff of breath, and walks out of my bedroom, closing the door behind him.

I dress quickly and walk downstairs just as there is a knock on the door. Jess and Mike apparently arrived at the same time. This looks about as awkward as I thought it was going to be.

"Hey guys! I just got dressed. Thanks for getting the door, Jacob," I smile.

"So, Mike, huh? Well, Bella, I never thought that would happen. You used to say all of the time that he was so annoying. And perfect for me. Well. Did you think I was annoying, too?" She laughs like she made a joke. "Just kidding, Bella! You totally have my blessing even though you didn't ask or tell me, and my date sprung this on me at the last minute as a double date with 'Bella and her date'." Yep. She's still as passive-aggressive as ever. This is why I have always liked Angela better.

"Yes! Just like you totally told me that you were screwing Jacob Black, my best friend, who I have known since he was born. You have MY blessing, too!" The claws are out tonight.

I look over at Jacob and can tell that he is holding back laughter, even though he's trying to look like he's embarrassed. Mike looks confused.

"Ready, Marshy?" Jacob laughs out as he claps Mike on the back.

"Huh? No, it's Mike."

"Sure it is. Let's load up! Where are we going to eat?" Jake asks as we climb in the Rabbit.

Jessica and Mike both want to go to Bella Italia. I hate that restaurant, and I want a burger. Jake agrees.

"I really wanted to take you somewhere nice for our first date, Bella," Mike looks disappointed.

"I'm a simple girl, Mike. I don't need fancy. I appreciate the thought, but I really like cheese fries. They don't serve cheese fries at Bella Italia. I've been," I recall.

"With whom?" he asks, and as he does, Jacob looks back at him and shakes his head slightly, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Never mind," he rushed out, a little too late.

I felt my arms start to wrap back around myself, and Jake's hand reached into the backseat to pat my knee. Mike's eyes narrowed. Jake saw this in the rear view mirror. He waited a few beats, then removed his hand. He isn't scared of Mike and I'm sure he doesn't care, except that he and I are both on dates with other people. I look up at Jessica and she is openly staring at Jake like he ran over her favorite dog on purpose.

"Who wants to listen to some music?" Jake asks. No one utters a word. This is going great.

"That went well, I think!" chuckled Jake, after we stopped by my house to drop off Mike and Jessica. They each left in a huff. They both acted about the same way the whole time, jealous and trying to outdo me or Jake in everything. Jessica was extremely catty, throwing barbs at me all night. Mike was using sarcasm like a sword.

"Jake, that was terrible," I sigh, climbing into the front seat of the Rabbit. "I know Mike and I aren't soul mates, but man, that was rough. Maybe you shouldn't have yelled at the both of them after the movie?" I suggest.

"What? They were being assholes. Mike was being a douche. I have no idea what Jessica ever saw in him, and no clue why you wanted to go on a date with him."

"Because it's NORMAL, Jake. It's NORMAL to go on dates, even with boys you're not extremely attracted to at first. Maybe there is something you didn't see, right? Maybe you brought out something in him that isn't normally there," I flimsily defend Mike.

"Oh come on! Tell me he's not always like that. And Jessica. Geez. She normally doesn't rub all over me in public. Wow, that was intense," he says, laughing.

"That's funny to you? I found it embarrassing. Jessica is very competitive for guys' attention. So maybe she isn't always like that, but she is when she's with her boyfriend and around other girls. I KNEW she would be mad that I was going on a date with Mike."

"I'm not her boyfriend, and no one gives a shit about Mike, Bella," Jacob says. "Fuck that guy. He's not good enough for you."

"I thought I get to decide that," I smirk.

He looks over at me quietly and grabs my hand. He's warm, and my hands are freezing. He feels like my own personal sun. I wish so much that I could be more for him.

 **Alright y'all! What did you think? Did it thoroughly explain? I'm a couple of chapters ahead, trying to stay that way... Thinking maybe I can start posting twice a week? We will see if I can keep up with that! As always, follow, favorite, and leave me some love in the form of a review. I love to hear from you guys!**


	6. Chapter 6: Here's to the Night

Chapter 6: Here's to the Night

 **A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Y'all are the best :)**

 **To answer the review from Twin268, Bella wouldn't be Bella without a lot of whining and emotional turmoil. I know it's annoying, but the end of unnecessary whining is coming soon :) I hope y'all like the new chapter!**

I wake up on the couch at Billy's. Walking to the bathroom, I peek into Jake's room and see that he's not there. He must be out on patrol. There's sure to be a wolf around, somewhere. In the shower I think about how much I'm really starting to be attracted to Jake. I mean, he's always been attractive. He has beautiful skin, gorgeous eyes, that body... I come out of my reverie and find my hand has traveled it's way down to my crotch. I jerk my hand away, feeling weird about being in someone else's house and touching myself. And the Jacob thing. I mean, I can't say I've never thought about him before, but now it's different. Ah, fuck it.

My left hand reaches up to rub my breast, pinching my nipple and rolling it between my fingers. I reach down with my right hand and test to see how sensitive my nub is. It feels just right when I rub it in a circular motion, easing my middle finger into my wet hole. Jake...

 _His body, hovering over mine, kissing me with perfect pressure, his lips running down the side of my neck... Rubbing, pinching the nipple on my left tit, he runs his hand south, to the core of my being. I start to move against him, bucking my hips, saying his name into his mouth. Jacob..._

I hurry to finish, circling my finger faster, shuddering my release. I feel a little dirty, ashamed that I defiled Billy's shower like this. My mind goes back to Jake, thinking that he must have done the same thing in here. I get full body chills thinking of him again. I better get out of here and get dressed before he gets back. I towel myself off and dress, hating the fact that I can't get fully dry from the humidity in here, so my feet stick in my jeans as I try to get them on.

I open the door, and standing right outside, leaned up against the wall, is Jacob. Sweating profusely, no shirt, looking like he just witnessed a miracle.

"Uh, hey Bells. I just got done with my patrol. So... Nice shower? You uh... sounded like you were having a good time in there," he mumbles quietly.

"Jake, how long were you standing here?" I ask, already completely abashed.

"Ha," he semi-chuckled. "Long enough to fill my bank for a LONG time," he looked at me sideways and smirked.

"Oh, dear God," I blurted out. "You will never look at me the same way," I whined.

"Oh, you are SO right," he teased. "You couldn't invite me in? I could have sat on the toilet and held your towel. We could make it a tradition."

I walked over to the couch and fell into it, burying my face. "Can we not EVER talk about that again, please!" came my muffled shout. I felt his presence by my side, sensed him kneeling down by the couch. He rubs my back, comforting me.

"Whatever you want, Bella," he says with emotion. "Anything."

There's a knock on the door and Jake gets up to answer it. Leah Clearwater walks in, seeming kind of annoyed. She bowed in my direction.

"Your presence is requested at the palace, Your Highness. The Chief needs you. Your chief. Not Billy. Get your ass up. Were you sleeping? Jake, are you watching her sleep now? Creep," she smirked. I giggle a little. I like her. I get up and walk towards them and the door.

"Nah, I just got out of the shower. I'm sure you'll see it all later," I related, giving Jake the side-eye.

"Was he watching you in the shower?! Jake, that's low, even for you, you dog!" she laughs out, shoving him a little. He moves under her push. She must be strong. Jake's face crinkles into a big smile. He is so damn sexy. I shake my head, hard. Nope. Not doing this when my heart is in pieces. I push my parts back together, keeping behind Jake so that he can't see me. I know he doesn't like it.

"Hardy-har. Let's go," I push past them out the door. As I start walking the way to Harry's, Leah steers me to the right. "Where are you taking me? I thought you said that Dad needs me. Isn't he at your house?"

"I lied! We're going to Lahote's for a party," Leah made the 'rock on' symbol, opening her mouth and letting her tongue hang out. She looks like a Rolling Stones poster. "Don't worry, I told your dad that you were staying with me at Minnie's tonight. He was cool with it."

"Isn't it a little early for a party? I mean... I just woke up," I start, looking up at the sky and noticing that the sun was further down than it should be. "Wait, what time is it?" I ask.

"About 5 pm. You slept all day, so I let you. You looked too peaceful to wake up. And since you have your first day at work tomorrow, we thought we could celebrate by throwing you a party. And surprise! You're the only paleface. Sorry, Bells," Jake winked.

"So you didn't invite Jessica or Mike?"

"Ah, something you missed while you were sleeping... Jessica called and said that she doesn't want to see me anymore. I asked for breakup sex and she wasn't feeling it," he guffawed. "I think I made her angry last night. She must not have liked her burger." Leah laughed loudly. "As for Mike... if you want to invite him, you can. But I didn't hear his name coming from that shower..." he looks up at me from under his lashes, and I blush, crimson flushing my face and neck.

"I actually think that maybe I SHOULD call Mike. Since Jessica is so mad that she broke up with you, Mike might need some reassurance. I'm going to give him another chance to prove he's not a douche. Yes, Jake," I catch him rolling his eyes, "I believe in second chances. I'll call him when we get in."

We walk up to Paul's house and I realize right away that maybe I have judged him wrong. He has a nice little cottage style house, surrounded by flowers. There seems to be a garden on the side that looks well kept. Paul's parents are both dead, so it has to be him caring for this home. I silently promised to try not to judge him so harshly anymore. He obviously has love in him to be able to make something so beautiful.

The door opens before we can knock, with Paul standing in the entrance. He looks at Leah and swallows hard. He leans in, grabs Jake's hand and pulls him into a hug, slapping him on the back. He nods at me, and leans in to do a half hug slash pat on the back thing with Leah. He looks nervous as all hell. He clears his throat when he notices that we are staring at him, and he moves aside.

"What was that about?" I whisper to Jake, who chuckles at me and shrugs.

"I'll tell you later," he confides.

I say hi to everyone, making a loop around the party. He's right. I am the only non-Quileute here. I'm used to that, but I think I owe Mike another chance, since I did kinda spring a double date on him a the last minute last night. I tell Jake I'm going to the other room to make a phone call and I'll be right back.

"Hey Mike!" I try to sound happy.

"Bella. How are you?" he sounds disinterested.

"I'm good, doing good... Hey. My friends here at the Res are throwing a party for me tonight, to celebrate my starting work tomorrow. I was wondering if you'd like to come... As my date?" I ask, trying to make it sound like I really wanted him to come. "That is, if you aren't busy."

"Your La Push friends know you're inviting me? Is Jacob Black going to be there?"

"Jake is always going to be here, Mike," I sigh, exasperated. "But I'd like for you to come, too. These kids know how to throw a party, so you'll have fun. And if you decide that it's not working out for you and me, I'll let you go talk to one of the Quileute Princesses. They like palefaces. No harm done."

"Ok then. Give me an address." I chase Paul down and tell Mike how to get here. I'm not excited, but I have to be able to say that I gave this a try so that I don't throw myself into a serious relationship before I'm ready.

I go back to the party and run into the Princesses. They aren't really royalty, and technically, Leah is more of a Princess than they are, blood-wise, but it's what they are called by the people here. They are basically the Mean Girls of La Push High. Minnie, Nora, and Greta all sit at the table, casting glances in Jake's direction. They make no attempt to hide their stares. Greta has a thing for Paul, I know, but he's not in her sights at the moment.

"Ladies," I say. "Like what you see?" I raise my eyebrow.

"Bella! Gosh, you look so cute today! We're just looking, girl! I heard he and that other paleface bitch broke up though... I was thinking about seeing if he would toss me over his shoulder like a caveman," Nora growled. "Would you mind? I know you guys are close, so I'll give you first dibs." The other girls at the table giggle.

"No, of course not. Go ahead. Just, if you hurt him, I'll have to kill you," I say, winking. I don't want to wink. I don't want to listen to this shit right now. But I can't stop Jake from seeing someone. I have no claim on him. Nora laughs and gets up from the table, strolling Jake's way. He looks up and sees me, waving me over. I point in front of me, to the girl approaching him. His eyes widen at her appearance. She's walking like a cat slinking up on it's prey.

I turn back to the table with the other two girls left. Greta smiles at me and asks if I've seen Paul. I point her in the direction I saw him last. She follows my finger. Last at the table is Minnie. She is the sweetest of the three. She has a crush on Seth, if I recall, and I don't see him here. He's probably too young to attend a party that his older sister is at. She is on her phone and doesn't even look up at me. Oh well. I walk into the kitchen to see if I can get a drink.

I run directly into Embry Call. He looks to be enjoying himself, drink in hand. He pushed it toward me, raising his eyebrows, asking me if I wanted it. I take it, knowing I'll need something to calm my nerves for when Mike gets here. Alcohol will make him more tolerable. The wolves need a ton of liquor to get drunk. Their bodies run so hot that it burns the alcohol off quickly. I take a big gulp before considering this, and I gag at the strength of the drink. Embry laughs.

"Sorry, Bella! I should have warned you. I can take it back and make you something weaker, if you want," he says it like a dare. I flip him off and tip it up again. I slam the cup down on the counter and make the rock on sign to Leah, who has sidled up next to me. I open my mouth and let my tongue hang out, letting loose and trying to have some much needed fun.

"SPIN THE BOTTLE!" Leah shouts loud enough for everyone to hear. "We're playing spin the bottle! Who wants to play with me? Bella is playing, too! Everyone wants to kiss the palefaces! Exotic breed, here!" she is drunk, but she is making waves. Not everyone wants to play, but she amasses a pretty big crowd.

I ask Embry to pour me another drink, and find myself a seat. The alcohol has already started affecting me. I have jelly legs. Sitting down feels good. Paul's living room is just big enough for our group to sit in a circle, though it's a tight fit. It takes some time for everyone to settle in, then we realize that a bottle must be empty for us to use it. Several people get up to make drinks again, and Paul brings the bottle to Leah. I look around and see in front of me sits Jake, who is entertaining Nora. To my left is Embry, and to my right is Leah. This should be fun. I haven't kissed many people, so I don't have much experience in variety.

Leah has the bottle and takes the first spin. It points in between Paul and Collin. Paul jumps up quickly, coming over to a very tipsy Leah. She stays seated on the floor, lotus style. Paul is a big guy, so there is no way he is reaching her lips by bending over. He reaches down, picks her up and holds her body to his, lowering his face to hers. Their lips touch and they take their time, making everyone shift in their seats silently. I look at Jacob and he raises his eyebrow and looks back up at them. When they break apart, Leah is breathless, staring at Paul as he walked back to his seat. I reached up and jerked on her hand, getting her attention and breaking the fog. She slumps down like she has no bones, and passes me the bottle. I'm really nervous, I have to admit. There are many people looking at me right now.

I spin the bottle and I pray that it doesn't land on Jacob. I will come apart right here. I can't handle it. The bottle stops on Quil. I'm ok with it. He's a nice guy, though he does stare a bit sometimes. He and I both get up and move into the middle of the circle. I see Jake's face out of the corner of my eye and he is tense. A knock on the door lets me know we have a new arrival, but Quil's face is moving towards mine, so I can't take the time to look right now. His lips are nice and soft, and he tastes like Fireball whiskey. His kiss isn't a peck, but also doesn't linger too long. I'm satisfied with how it went, and as I turn to sit, I see Mike gawking at me from the foyer. He doesn't look too happy. I walk over to him and try to calm his nerves.

"Hey! It's just spin the bottle, Mike. Would you like to play?" I ask.

"Awww man! What do I do? I should be kissing Bella right now! Come back, Bella, come BACK!" I hear Embry, but don't turn around. Everyone is screaming at him to just spin again, keep the game moving. He whines a little more, then I hear the bottle go again.

"Ok, I guess," says Mike, and he follows me back to the circle. I get back in time to see Embry and Nora finishing up a heated kiss. He really took full advantage, grabbing some ass during the moment. The crowd is hooting with laughter. I look out of the window, seeing a sparkle from the corner of my eye. I tell Mike I'll be right back as I head to the door, thinking I just saw a vampire. Not just any vampire. Edward. I walk out, and feel a presence behind me, feeling the heat radiate into my back. I know it's Jake.

"Do you smell anything?" I ask him.

"No... Just you," he says, leaning toward me. He smells like liquor. His face is in a relaxed smile. He reaches up and cups the side of my face. I feel a little drunk now, arms heavy, teeth tingling, and very uninhibited. This is dangerous for my mission.

I decide I must have caught the glimmer of one of Paul's many garden fixtures and that I'm in a spot right now that I shouldn't be, seeing as Mike JUST got here and he's supposed to be my date. I want to just fall into Jake's arms, and know that doing so right now would be a mistake. I grab his hand and softly bring it down to my side, keeping hold of it.

"Jake, we should head back in. They are waiting for us. Mike just got here, and I don't want him to come out and see something that might be... upsetting," drunk Bella is making good decisions so far.

I let go of his hand and open the door to make my way back to my spot on the floor. I look around for Embry and notice him in the kitchen, pouring more drinks. The bottle has gotten almost halfway around the circle, and it's nearly Jake's turn. He sits back in his spot as Minnie and Collin finish kissing, and the bottle is passed into his hands. Nora is laid on her back beside him, noticeably passed out. She has a little bit of drool escaping her mouth, and I chuckle at the fact that no one has moved her. Jake looks up at me and spins the bottle fast, and I can see it in his eyes- He's praying it lands on me. It slows considerably, and for a millisecond, I think that maybe kissing Jake in front of all of these people wouldn't be so bad. I look over at Mike and remember my promise to myself.

The bottle stops between Leah and I, and she looks at me quickly, searching my face. It took nothing more than the beat of a hummingbird's wings for her to know what I needed. She jumped up, Jake looking for all the world like someone had robbed him.

"Well thanks for your enthusiasm, Jake," she scolded.

"We've been playing this game for years, and I've kissed you already, Leah. I was hoping for something new. No offense, of course," he smiled. Embry comes back, offers me another drink and sits back down.

"Now that everyone knows we've kissed, I have no more secrets. I can live my life in peace!" she cackled, and rose up on her tippy toes to plant a hard, closed lipped kiss on his mouth.

She fell back laughing, and covertly winked at me as she sat back down. I love her like a sister. I reach over and give her hand a squeeze. I look over at Mike and see that he will take a turn after Collin goes. Collin lands on Greta, and they kiss almost chastely.

Mike picks up the bottle. He looks at me and swallows. He spins, and it lands on Embry. I'm the closest girl, so I jump on the grenade. I stand up and walk over to him, slowly. We meet closer to his area. I can see in his face that he can't believe his luck. I look up at him through the alcoholic fog I have going on. I stumble a little, trying to lean in his direction. Mike's lips land on mine and he grabs my waist and pulls me closer. The kiss feels... wet. Like, really, really wet. But I let it go, thinking maybe he doesn't have a lot of experience in this area. If he does, no one has ever given him some constructive criticism. Apparently I get lost in thought during the kiss, because I hear Jake clear his throat loudly. I break away and stumble again, this time into Mike. I can feel his hard-on pressing against my hip when he catches me. Great. I turn back around and sit down, not so subtly wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

Play continues to the right. It's Paul Lahote's turn and it lands on Jake. Jake jumps up, grabs Paul's face, and and plants a huge kiss on his cheek with a smack. Everyone laughs. That's pretty much the end of the game, as everyone gets up to deal with the effects of their alcohol. I have to pee really badly and there is a line at the bathroom. I think about going outside and squatting in the bushes, but I just know that on this tiny reservation, someone is bound to see my ass. I surmise there must be a bathroom in Paul's bedroom, so I start opening doors and peeking in. I find the room I'm looking for, and indeed, there is another bathroom in here. And a hot tub. This night could be more fun than I thought.

 **So, what did you think? This party is going to last a little while, I hope you don't mind! We're going to have some fun, and build some little side stories. Did you like the new characters?**


	7. Chapter 7: Party in the USA

Chapter 7 Party in the USA

 **A/N: Please don't crucify me. I promise the chapter ends well. Bella is finally starting to come together, she just needs to see things for herself. When the month changed I almost cried a little, seeing all of my views and stuff disappear on my graph lol... So hopefully this will boost those numbers back up!**

 **Serenity1006, yes! Bella is Bella all day. LOL... That girl... Well I'm trying to stay true to how SM wrote her. I hope it's coming across the way it needs to.**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all of the characters. No copyright infringement is meant here.**

I come out of Paul's room with a slight agenda in mind, but when I walk into the throng of people, I hear one of my favorite songs, Into the Mystic, by Van Morrison. I look around for Jake, knowing that he would dance with me if I asked. My eyes catch sight of Mike, who is doing shots with my bronze-skinned guardians. I'm not sure how he's going to get home, because everyone here is smashed. And he's not staying at Jake's, I can pretty much guarantee that. I walk over to him, in my best attempt to get him to stop drinking so he can sober up and go home tonight.

"Mike, hey," I smile out, taking a crack at flirting. "Um, do you want to dance with me? This song is my favorite," I gush out, looking up at him from beneath my lashes. I reach over and take his shot out of his hand and pound it back, then lick the rim of the shot glass. Paul elbows Jake in the ribs and points his chin at me. Yeah, yeah, get a gander at this. I catch him looking amused out of the corner of my eye. He must see that this is not a genuine transaction. I lead a stunned Mike to the living room floor, where there are 2 other couples dancing.

"I'm not a great dancer, Bella," he whispers, his cinnamon breath reaching my nose.

"Yeah, I'm not either," I say, "but I do love this song." We are basically alternating raising each foot and spinning in a circle, but it feels pretty good. I feel light, and my chest isn't hurting. I don't feel like I need to hold myself together. This is turning out to be a good night. Mike isn't SO bad, I guess. Though he's no Jake. I sigh and lean into Mike, and he takes this as a good sign, because his hands move down to my ass. I let it go, letting him feel a part of me that only one other person has. I figure this might keep him away from the shots for a little while.

We dance the entirety of the song, and a faster one comes on. I look at him apologetically and mouth 'bathroom' because I need a moment alone. I walk into Paul's room, not bothering to check the line for the other bathroom. I sit on his bed, then lay back. I start to drift off when I feel the bed shift beside me. I look up at Mike, confused.

"Hey. Whatcha doing?" he asked. His eyes are glazed over. I didn't get to him soon enough. He lays back on the bed beside me, and rolled over on his side.

"I've liked you since you moved here, Bella," he said, putting his hand on my stomach.

"I know," I chuckle. "You weren't shy about it. Neither was Tyler, or even Eric at first. But my heart belonged to someone else."

"Cullen. What did you ever see in that guy?" he slurs quietly. I feel my insides squirm, my pieces threatening to fly apart.

"I really don't want to talk about him at all, Mike," I explain. "It makes me feel terrible about myself."

"Bella," he whispered out, smelling like he ate one of those Christmas brooms. "You should never feel bad about yourself. You're hot," he finished, leaning up on his elbow, and towards my face. And there it is. He really does just want to get in my pants. I let him kiss me to see if the alcohol loosened him up a little. Maybe there will be less spit this time.

And I'm right. There is less spit. Alcohol dries you out a little, so it was a good assumption. This isn't all that bad. If I let my mind wander a little...

 _Jake, pressing his body against mine. I can feel how hard he is, grinding into me through my jeans. His hand clumsily runs up under my shirt and bra, grabbing a handful of one of the mounds of perfection on my chest. He kneads it, running his thumb over my nipple. It then roams down to the button of my pants, undoing it gracelessly. His hand hesitates at the top of my panties, then shakily dips in. I shiver a little at his cold touch..._

My eyes fly open, and it dawns on me that I have let this go entirely too far. I'm still kissing Mike, and his hand is definitely in a place where it should not be. Just as I'm about to break contact, he shudders, hard, and a heavy moan escapes his mouth. Oh God. I gently reach down and pull his hand out of my pants and stop kissing him. He looks at me, confused.

"Ok, so I know what just happened must be a little disappointing, but I recover quickly. It's really fine. I'm not going to make a big deal about it if you won't," he smiles lazily.

"Oh, God. Yeah, I can't do this, Mike. I'm sorry. I think maybe you should go talk to Greta. Or Nora, if she's awake now. Maybe even Minnie will give you a chance. I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore. I'm not ready to see anyone," I lie. Truth is, I'm pretty disgusted with myself for letting this go. Also it's pretty shitty to fantasize about someone when you are with someone else.

"Fucking bitch," he says calmly. He looks like he wants to spit in my face. "You're a tease!" It feels like a punch to my gut.

"No, THIS is me being a fucking bitch," I sneered. I pulled open the bedroom door. "You can't call me a tease, if you CAME all in your pants, MIKE!" I scream out. "You OBVIOUSLY got yours!" His face says it all. He is completely flustered.

Choruses of "OH SHIT!" and "DAMN!" fall around my ears, and the next thing I know, Mike is being carried out by the Mahogany Army. It probably wouldn't have taken that many, but they used most of them anyway.

"Hey, Jake!" I call out. "Please have someone take him home. He's not able to drive," I finish, and he nods at me. Leah runs over and stumbles on the rug that lines the foyer area, falling into me.

"BELLA SWAN! That was BADASS! You shut him ALL the way down. What a sleazeball. You can totally do better. I saw you and Jake taking turns staring at each other tonight. Let me just say... The pack sees all of his thoughts. I saw that makeout sesh between you two the other day. HOT!" she is drunk and loud, but I still love her. She makes me feel good about myself.

"I have an idea," I blurt out. The guys all walk back in. "Hot tub time?" Leah squeals at the idea. Jake tells me quietly that Collin and Brady have to go spell Sam for patrol. He's been running patrols this whole time alone. He tried to get Mike to let one of them drive him home, but he refused, climbed in his car, and left.

Some of the people leave, since it's getting late. The remaining are Me, Jake, Leah, Paul, Embry, Quil, Nora, and Greta. We climb into the hot tub, designate places, and climb out to make drinks while it fills up. Jake corners me over by the tequila, since it seems I'm the only one drinking it and I'm alone.

"Bells, what happened in there?" he looks concerned.

"Uh, things got a little out of hand with Mike," I started. "It was my fault. I felt bad for him, and I was thinking about someone- uh, something else, and it ended up with him dry humping my leg," I continued, getting caught up in telling my story. "He had his hand down my pants and I realized that I had made a terrible mistake," I sobbed out, finally getting to how upset I was about it. "He called me a fucking bitch and a tease. I can't believe I called him out like that in front of everyone. I'm such a terrible person."

"No, Bella. He was an asshole and you let him have it. It's what normal people do, not terrible people. You reacted to what he did. He deserved it," he reassured me as Leah walked over.

"Hey hey, Bella Swan! You ready for some hot tub truth or dare? Lahote thinks he's being slick by suggesting it. That kiss earlier was pretty good, right? Maybe I can have some more fun tonight..." Leah's thought trailed off as she openly stared at Paul. Jake grinned at me behind her, and whistled, making my hand motion. I laughed so hard I fell into him, and he lifted me up, carrying me into the bathroom with the hot tub.

Jake set me down on my feet and started stripping. His shirt came off, then his pants. He's left standing in a pair of boxer briefs that leave nothing to the imagination. I feel a little light headed at the thought of us being in our underwear together, playing truth or dare. He catches me staring and pushes my shoulder a little.

"Like what you see?" he smirks. "Come on, Bells, are you wearing a bikini under there? Or is there something better? Either way, I'm gonna see it. You can't climb in the hot tub with all of your clothes on. It's either now, while we are alone, or you can wait until everyone else gets in here to see you take your clothes off," he appealed.

"Ok, you got me," I say, peeling my jeans off. I didn't wear any special underwear because I wasn't expecting anyone to see them when I showered this morning. They're not granny panties, but they cover my ass, and my bra doesn't match. "God, these always get stuck on my feet. Fucking skinny jeans."

Jake kneels down and grabs my hand, putting it on his shoulder so I can steady myself. Then he helps to get my foot out of first one leg, then the other of my pants. I smile at him and pull my shirt over my head. He picks me up like a groom would carry a bride, and I relish the feeling of his muscles against my skin. He walks over to the hot tub and gently lowers my feet into it. I get settled while he climbs in beside me.

"Looks like Jake and Bella are getting started without us!" yells Nora, who is so jealous that she is green.

"We are, actually," says Jake, putting his arm around me. I shift a little and look up at him, trying not to look confused. His eyes say 'please help me get rid of her'.

I snuggle closer into his side and touch his face. I lean up and kiss him on the cheek, directly next to his mouth. I make a path with kisses over to his ear, where I whisper, "You SO owe me." He slightly nods his head yes, and turns his face toward mine, kissing me on the nose. I giggle. People start coming into the room. Most of them give knowing looks, like they had been waiting for us to do this for a while.

"Truth or dare time!" Leah screams, jumping in with both feet. My hair and face are soaked, and Jake is laughing his ass off. Everyone else climbs in, Paul squeezing in dead last. It's REALLY snug in here, with one of my legs slung over Jake and the other practically on top of Embry. Jake reaches over, grabs my other leg, and pulls me completely into his lap. Nora is fucking furious.

"Ok, I'll go first!" says Nora loudly. "Embry, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Embry says, never scared.

"I dare you to kiss Bella."

The room is dead silent for a moment. Everyone looks at her like the asshole she is, and I break the silence.

"Alright, Embry! Pucker up!" I enthuse. He shrugs his shoulders and leans over to me, while I'm still sitting on Jake's lap. I lean in and really kiss him. I give him everything I can without touching any other part of him, then break away, coming back to give him a kiss like I would give someone on the cheek, ending with a loud pop sound. There is much catcalling and hooting. I'm not embarrassed at all. He's a good guy and I know that he won't take it the wrong way. Jacob looks a little irritated, but not incredibly upset. He knows what's going on.

"No wonder Jake won't leave her alone! Damn, Bella, you are something else!" he nudged me and laughed. "Ok, so it's my turn, right? Jacob, truth or dare?"

"Truth," he answered.

"How long have you had a thing for Bella? I mean, we all know and see it. I'm not calling out anything that isn't obvious, right? She's kept you in the friendzone for how long?" Embry finishes. I'm staring up at Jake in horror. I don't know if I want him to answer this question.

"Hmmm... well, I guess it's been since we were kids. When I found out that boys can like girls like my dad loved my mom. It probably comes back to when I was 7, and we were at First Beach. I had a broken leg, so I couldn't go in the water. Bella was the only kid who stayed on the beach with me. My sisters and friends were all playing in the water. Bella never even looked like she wanted to go in. We sat on a blanket so I didn't get sand in my cast, and we stared at the clouds, naming them different things. She stayed with me the entire time, then we went back to my house and she asked if she could spend the night. Even at that age, our dads wouldn't allow it, but I felt so lucky that she wanted to stay with me," he recounts, and I can see his mind drifting back to that day. "The friendzone isn't a forever thing. I'm just waiting until she is ready to return my affections." He leans down and kisses my forehead. I shiver, feeling so much happiness radiating from him at that moment. I hear and feel a loud splash, and turn to see a fuming Nora climbing out of the hot tub.

"You said you didn't want him. You said you didn't want first dibs. I offered. I invested time tonight. I could be going home with someone else, ANYONE else at this party. Fuck you! This fucking paleface comes in here and steals the chief's son right out from under our noses? You guys are ok with this?" Nora screams.

"Nora, I need you to leave my house, please. If you want me to give you a ride, I can do that. I just can't have you talking to Bella like that. This party is for her. She doesn't deserve this," Paul said, calmly.

"Oh you don't have to worry! I'm out! Never invite me to anything that includes palefaces again. I'm done with this shit," she says as she's walking out the door. When we hear the door slam, everyone starts laughing.

"Well played, guys! Man, she is SO annoying. Maybe she and Mike can date. They are perfect for each other. Hey, Bella, where are you going?" Jake asks me after I climb off of his lap. The whole thing just felt like a slap in my face. That memory that he gave, that really happened. He used it. I know he asked for my help to make her jealous, but that hurt my feelings.

"We're done right? She's gone. I just figured that since this was all a joke, I don't need to be on your lap anymore. Plus, there's room," I explain, trying to keep a straight face.

"Sure, sure," he says. "But I wouldn't mind if you just stayed where you were."

"It's cool," I lie, noticing everyone staring at me and him. "It's your turn, by the way." I am too drunk to hide my emotions well. This is not my day, I guess. I love these people, my tribe. But some days, it's a lot. Paul clears his throat softly.

"Paul, truth or dare?" Jake asks. Paul accepts a dare. "I dare you to kiss the prettiest girl in the room."

Paul stands up in the middle of the hot tub and turns toward Leah. I can see that this is a set up, too. Jacob smiles down at me, winking. Paul leans down to a still drunk Leah, looks into her eyes, and presses his lips to hers, kneeling down to get better purchase. She slides her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. His arms encircle her and pull her in. It starts getting pretty heated. We all just kind of look at each other and raise eyebrows.

"Paul, your turn," whispers Greta, who just looks sad. He raises his finger to tell us just a second, and Leah breaks away, breathless.

"Finish without us. I think Paul and I need to have a conversation.," she murmurs into his lips. He picks her up, her body still wrapped around his, and carries her out of the bathroom. I'm guessing that they took the guest room since I heard the bedroom door open and close again.

"Guess it's time to go home, guys! Is everyone ok? I know most of you live close enough to walk," Jake stated. Everyone said they would be fine, Quil and Embry walking Greta home, then going home, themselves. We all get out of the hot tub, get dressed, and Jake locks the door on the way out of Paul's house. When we get outside, we say our goodbyes, and Jake squats down low.

"Hop on, Bells. You are drunk, and you are clumsy even when you are sober. This will be much faster and safer." I agree, climbing on and wrapping my limbs around him as best I can. He's pretty big, so it's no easy feat. Thankfully he reaches back and supports me by grabbing the bottom of my thighs, and takes off at a ridiculous speed back to his house.

He unlocks the door, and we can hear Billy's tv blaring from his room. His snoring is loud enough to wake the dead.

"Hey, I have that movie we used to watch, um, The Sixth Sense? I would bring it out here, but it's a video tape, and I have the only VCR in my room. Do you want to come watch it?" he asks me, sitting me down inside the door.

"Sure, sounds good," I say. He grabs some snacks off the counter and I follow him into his room. I sit down on the edge of his bed, where there is still a basket of clothes. He must have done laundry earlier today. He takes the basket off and puts it on the floor. He sits down after putting in the movie, and we sit in silence for a few minutes while Bruce Willis talks on the screen to the crazy guy.

"Are you comfortable? You wanna lay down? I can easily see over you if you want to lay in front of me. Or maybe you can lay down and put your head or feet in my lap? I don't mind sitting up. I can rub your feet, if you want," he offers.

"Nah, my feet don't hurt. I wouldn't mind if you played with my hair, though," I said. "Renee used to do that when I had a bad day. Today has been rough. I had a great time, don't get me wrong, it was just a lot of people, and the Mike thing, and the Nora thing.." I lay my head in his lap and he starts running his fingers through my hair. "Jake, why did you use a real story when Embry asked you that question earlier? I knew that you were trying to run Nora off when he asked you about me, but it hurt my feelings a little that you would use an actual thing that happened, to talk about 'loving' me," I whisper.

He sits for a few moments, running his fingers through my hair, twisting little pieces, rubbing my scalp in long pulls. I actually think for a minute that he didn't hear me. I can't bring myself to ask again, so I just lay there while he gently comforts me.

"I used the story because it's true. Because that was when I knew that I loved you. I was 7 years old, you were almost 9. You were here for the summer after moving away the year before. I had missed you so much when you left. You treated me like your favorite person in the world. I've dated girls, I've definitely found other girls attractive, but none have gotten my attention quite like you. We could never see each other again, and I would still remember you forever. You were made for me, Isabella Marie Swan. I'm just waiting for you to know the same thing."

"Lay down with me, Jake," I murmur. He lays down behind me, pulling my back against his chest. My head is laying on his bicep, his arm around my waist. I put my arm on top of his, and thread my fingers through his. He's very warm, and I am absolutely at ease. I fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

 **So, tell me. What did you think? Bella is finally getting ahold of herself. Things are starting to get better with her, and their relationship is about to take a nice turn :) Don't forget to follow, favorite, review! I love to see new reviews :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Linger

Chapter 8: Linger

 **A/N: Ok guys! Here it is, what you've been waiting for! 3 I have no experience writing lemons so please be nice haha!**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns the world of Twilight and all characters. I just play with them.**

I wake up in Jake's arms. I look at his alarm clock- it says 5:17. His hand is running up and down my side. I can feel his stiffness jamming up against my ass. It doesn't take me long to decide that this time, it's right.

I roll over to face him and crush my body into his. By the light of the tv, I can see that he's not fully awake. I stretch up a little and press my lips to his, waiting for him to react before I do anything else. His eyes open a little, and he pulls back, looking at me with a sense of wonder. His hand comes up to cup my face, and he pulls me back into a passionate kiss. We stay that way for a while, us running our hands all over each other, testing out how it all feels. His tongue begs entrance to my mouth, running over my lower lip. I let him in, gliding my tongue gently over his. His hand reaches down and cups the underside of my ass, pulling me even closer as he slings my leg over his hip.

"Are you ok with this, Bella? Is this really what you want?" Jake whispers in my ear, then sucks on my earlobe.

"Yes, Jake! Yes," I gasp. "Sit up," I urge him. As he does, I take off his shirt, running my fingers over his well defined chest and abs. He reaches over and takes mine off as well. Kissing me again, he reaches behind me and deftly removes my bra. My breasts escape their prison, and his eyes alight on them. His head dips down to my left nipple, sucking on it softly, then sliding his thumb across it. He moved to the right, showing it the same attention.

"Lay down, baby," he says, pushing me back gently. I do as he commands, leaning all the way back into his pillows. He reaches up and unbuttons my jeans, pulling them off of me most of the way. They get caught on feet and he laughs, taking his time to remove them properly. He slides up over me, putting just the right amount of weight and pressure on me to feel him through my panties. I squirm against him and he smiles into my lips, kissing me again. He kicks off his jeans and boxers, and guides my hand to his hardness. I close my fingers and run my hand along the length of it. Never having had this experience before, it feels big to me, but I wouldn't really know. It's much larger than any of the toys I found in Renee's drawer a few years ago. He puts his hand into my panties, circling the nub that is now throbbing with a great need. His hands are so warm, so sure.

"Are you ready?" Jake growls into my mouth, and reaches down to pull my panties off.

"I-I think so," I whisper, out of breath. "I'm a little nervous... I don't really know what I'm doing," I finish.

"I'll take care of you. I'll be gentle, I promise," he says, making a trail of kisses down my belly. I grab his shoulder and go to stop him. "Trust me, babe. You're gonna love this."

He ducks his head back down and I feel his tongue swipe up on my clit, rendering me completely useless. My head falls back down to the pillows as he worships me with his ministrations. I don't know what to do with my hands, so I bunch them into the sheets. My mind goes to the fact that he has had to use this on someone else before, he's so good at it. Then I think of Jessica and him here in this bed. I shake my head to drop that thought. He puts two fingers at the base of my vagina, collecting the nectar there. He pushes in gently, continuing to lavish me with his tongue. My back arches as I buck my hips into his face, unable to control myself.

He comes up, pulling my legs up and out to the side to hook around his arms, readying himself at my entrance. I can feel his dick resting there, waiting for me to say go. Jake sucks on my neck, kisses leading back to my mouth. I reach back and put my hands on his hips, nodding my agreement. He eases in, going so slow that it's excruciating. After a few seconds, I feel a sharp pain, and I gasp.

"Bells, are you ok? Did I hurt you? I can stop..."

"No, Jake, keep going! I think you just... popped my cherry?" I saw his hesitation, and encouraged him again, "Please, Jake. I want this. Keep going. I want you inside me." I felt his manhood throb at that, and I knew he would continue.

He kept easing in, pulling back out a little, then gently pushing again. It still stings a little, but the pain isn't so bad that I want him to stop. Then it starts getting MUCH better. He gets a rhythm going, and I think to myself that he is so good at this, "SO GOOD," I say out loud. He growls a little, grunting as he starts going a little harder, a little faster. He takes up more room than I ever thought he could. My head is hitting his headboard a little, but it adds to the experience, turning me on even more.

"Do you like that? Does it make you feel good?" Jake asks, gripping my hips as I lift to accept him more fully.

"Oh yeah, so good! God, keep going! Harder!" I say, trying to keep it quiet so we don't wake Billy. He kisses me again, pushing his tongue expertly into my mouth, guiding my hands up over his shoulders, and I run my hands around to his back to hold on tighter. I can feel my release building, and Jake must sense it, too. He leans up, then, and puts his thumb on the little bundle of nerves just above his thrusting. I feel my fuse shortening quickly, and I start gasping, reeling from the lack of oxygen I can't draw in.

"Yes, Jake! Oh God, YES!" My world explodes in a mass of stars, contracting and clinching.

I can see the effect this has on Jacob immediately. He starts pumping even faster, harder, and for a moment I think that I will break in half. I'm delirious with his touch, praying that I'm still sane after he's done. I feel his body start tensing up, and his eyes go wide, then clench shut. He shudders and moans, slowing considerably.

"I love you, Isabella Swan. Dammit, I love you!" he nearly shouts, and I stop him from saying more with a hard kiss.

"I love you, too, Jacob Black," I finally admit. He rolls over to his side and pulls me with him. We lay there panting in each other's arms, until I admit that I need a moment in the bathroom. I give Jake a kiss and pick up my clothes, then go clean up. I come back completely dressed, and bring the towel that I used to clean up so he can use it as well.

"Jake, I'm going out to the couch," I start, and hold up my hand when he tries to interrupt me. "Your dad will wake up soon. If he sees me here in your bed, there will be a lot of explaining to do. I'm not ready to tell Charlie about this while Victoria is still running around. We have to spend a lot of time together until she is caught and killed. I don't want there to be a reason that Charlie tries to stop that."

"You're right. I fell bad about you sleeping out there by yourself after... I mean, we really need to have a talk about this, Bells."

"We'll talk about it after I get out of work tonight, Jake. You have patrol today, and I'll hang out with Leah before work. I'm guessing I'll need to go in before we get any time. Do you want to drop me off and pick me up from work?" I asked, hopefully.

"Absolutely, babe. And I'll be hanging out outside the whole time. Just in case. I'll be in wolf form so no one will recognize me, but I'll be hiding in the woods so no one will get scared, don't worry. It's 4 to 8, right?"

"Yep!" I say, heading back to the couch. At this point, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to kiss him again, if I'm supposed to tell him I love him again, shake hands? Thank him, maybe? I almost laugh. That would be weird. I lay down on the couch and cuddle up with the blanket that Sarah had crocheted. I hear the bedroom door squeak open, and Jake walks out. He crouches down and puts his hands on each side of my face. I'm still slightly buzzed, and his face looks even more beautiful than usual. I'm not even sure how that's possible. He leans in and kisses me softly, slowly, and pulls back to stare at me again. After a few seconds he gets back up and goes back to his room. I fall asleep to the sounds of Billy's snores.

I head over to the Clearwater's when I wake up, going over to see Charlie. Jacob was gone when I checked his room. I got a shower and put on clothes that I could wear to work, since I figured I probably wouldn't get back to Jake's before I had to go in.

Charlie was sitting in a recliner at Harry's house, go figure. It's Sunday so there's a game on. I look around and realize that Sue has decorated for Christmas. Is it really that close? I guess Thanksgiving happened while I was still lost in my fog after Edward left. I wait for the usual stab of pain when I think of him, and it doesn't come. I'm feeling so much better.

"How was your night? Leah said you guys were staying with another girl on the Reservation, here?" Charlie asks.

"Oh yeah, I had a great time at Minnie's. She's a pretty nice girl. She has a little crush on Seth," I answer, smiling in Seth's direction. Blush rises up his neck and face, even his ears turn red. Charlie nods his head like he was confirming intel. He was digging to make sure I was where I was supposed to be. I sit down on the couch.

"Is that right? Seth has a lady caller? Well, Seth, what are you going to do about that?" Charlie teases.

"Chief, I'm still scared to death of girls, especially that one. She's made it pretty clear that she likes me. It's pretty intimidating, actually," he laughs. Seth is a good kid. Almost any of these other boys would jump on the chance to be with a princess, but Seth is not like the rest of them.

"You SHOULD have a healthy fear of females, kid. Believe me when I say, they are all crazy. You just have to figure out how much crazy you can handle, and you go with that," joked Charlie. We all have a good laugh at Dad's slight sexism. Leah walks in, looking worse for the wear.

"I was wondering where you went, Bella. Minnie and I woke up a few minutes ago and you were gone. I figured you would be here or at Jake's, thought I'd check here first. How did you sleep?" she asked me, with a glint in her eye.

"Fantastic. Best sleep of my LIFE, really. It was wonderful. How did you sleep? I was so tired from jumping on the trampoline yesterday... I mean, it was a lot of fun. You must have been as tired as I was," I pried, doing some digging of my own.

"Yes. Best sleep ever. Minnie's bed is really nice. And that trampoline! Man I didn't think I could have so much fun jumping up and down," Leah enthused. "I'm thinking about asking her if I can spend the night again, too, sometime."

"That's a great idea. Let me know when you do, and we'll make another night of it, if that's ok with Dad," I look at him questioningly.

"Sure, sure, as long as you are being watched, it's fine. Doesn't Paul live next door to Minnie? If he's close by, I'm ok with it," Chief Swan rules fairly.

"Like I'm not qualified, or something?" Leah prods.

"I have work tonight, so I won't be able to stay over. Maybe next weekend?" I ask, and she nods at me.

"I'm going swimming at the cliffs. You wanna go with me? I have something else I have to do in a little while, so I will have you back for work," Leah finishes.

"Sounds fun!" I say, just wanting to get away from my dad's watchful gaze. Leah lets me borrow a swimsuit, since mine are at home, and it's a little more revealing than one I would wear. She takes a picture with her phone and shows it to me. I look pretty good, I must say. I ask her to send me the picture, and I text it to Jake. I know he won't get it right now while he's in wolf form, but it will be a nice surprise for later.

Leah leads me to the water and we jump in, swimming around and splashing each other. She tells me about last night with Paul, and I go ahead and tell her about Jake. She'll see it later anyway, so I might as well share something with my buddy. I think she's more excited about me and Jake than I am, and it makes me happy that she is my friend.

I see Sam and some of the other pack guys jumping from the higher cliffs, and it sparks my curiosity. I ask Leah if she's ever jumped from that high.

"I mean, yeah, I've done it a few times. It's a little scary, but I'm no chicken. It's just hard to time it right. I hit my head once. It wasn't pleasant. I'd be willing to try again, if you want to. Paul's up there. I'll take any excuse," she giggles. We get out and hike the hill to the top of the cliff, where the boys are playing around and pushing each other off.

"Mind if I have a go?" I ask to no one in particular, awaiting a response. Leah has already cornered Paul and they are whispering among themselves.

"Sure. I'll tell you when to jump. It's a long drop, so take a deep breath. I'll come directly after you to make sure you make it to shore ok. I'll never hear the end of it if you get hurt," Sam states.

I walk to the edge of the cliff and look down, and out of the corner of my eye I see Edward's face. I look up at him and run my hand through the air, pushing him away before he tries to dictate what I can and can't do again.

"No more," I mumble to him, and look straight out to the horizon.

"Now, jump, Bella!" Sam roars, and I launch myself into the air. I take a deep breath and hold it, expanding my lungs as far as they will go. I feel myself flying down, and I've never felt more alive. I land in the water and keep going down, down, so far, I almost think I'll never stop. I kick up and see another person land nearby, knowing it's Sam, here to protect me.

Jacob shows up to Harry's shortly before I have to leave for work. They had to have a pack meeting, so Leah had left a while ago, and it had taken longer than usual because they had to figure out how they would move around my work schedule. Charlie went to the station a couple of minutes after I got here, and Harry left as well. I really have just been lost in thought about last night, talking every now and then to Sue and Seth. When Jake walks in, my eyes light up, and I have to fight the urge to jump up and throw myself around him.

"Hey there, Bells. You almost ready for work?" he smiles down at me, tracing his hand across the back of my neck as he walks past the couch. I shiver with pleasure, aching for another touch.

"Um, yeah, I'm ready to go already. I do need to stop by my house to pick up my dinner, because I didn't think about that. I'll just pack a sandwich. Do you mind? That means we'd have to leave now," I say nonchalantly.

"Absolutely," he answers, looking at me and raising his eyebrow, smiling. "Not a problem at all."

The drive over is very tame. I don't want everyone on the Res to see Jake and I cuddling up so that they can tell Charlie. We hold hands and talk about memories to pass the time.

We pull up to my house and Jake's eyes go wide. He takes a long breath in through his nose, and climbs out of the truck quickly. He runs around the house, then comes back to my side of the truck, and opens my door.

"Get out Bells. I need your keys, and I want you to follow me closely. I can't leave you out here alone. Someone has been here. The smell is different than last time, so it's not the red head." I sit, dumbfounded, and he urges, "Keys, Bella! Let's go!"

I get out of the truck and hand him my keys. I grab onto the back of his shirt so that I follow closely enough. He unlocks the door and takes another long breath in, smelling around. He goes with the scent, and it takes him up the stairs and into my room again. There is a piece of paper laying on my bed, and my CD player is on. The song is Clair de Lune, and I know the paper must be from Edward. My heart is pounding in my chest, crushing my ability to breathe. Jake turns around and catches me as I start to collapse, panting for air. I haven't had a panic attack in over a week, and my brain turns to mush while I try to remember how to fight it.

"Shhh, shhh... Breathe, Bella. Please, this is going to be ok. Just trust me, I'm here for you." My breathing calms a little at Jake's words, slowing my heart. He runs his hand over my hair, soothing me.

"Jake, put me on the bed, I need a blanket. I'm freezing." He does as I ask, then I say, "Read me the letter, please. I can't do it. I can't bring myself to read it." He picks it up and scans it, scrunching his face in confusion.

"I don't understand. Is this a joke? What kind of shit is this?" he demands of someone who isn't here. I nudge him softly with my elbow and he starts reading.

 _Bella,_

 _Please do not miss your appointment tomorrow._

 _Carlisle has spoken to your therapist, and you will have subsequent_

 _appointments elsewhere._

 _There have been arrangements made for you to see the best there is to find what is wrong._

 _Alice has seen that you may try to skip the therapist_

 _because you are feeling better._

 _You are not better._

 _My interference in person would have changed other things,_

 _so I leave this letter in hopes that you will please listen._

 _E_

I am frozen with fear. Why would he feel the need to do this? There must be something terrible. I can't think. I WAS thinking about skipping the therapist.

My alarm goes off on my phone, and I realize I have 15 minutes to make my lunch and get to work. I don't have time to think about Edward and this crazy letter. I look at Jake, who is shaking with fury.

"Every time I get close... Every time! He just can't leave you alone!" he yells.

"Jake, I have to make my lunch and get to work," I sigh. "Is there anyone here? Can you smell anyone else?"

"No, this is the only trail I found," he answers.

I unwrap myself from my blanket and get up, walking down the stairs to the kitchen. Jacob follows close behind me, hands on my hips. I get everything out onto the counter and make my dinner, putting it in my lunch bag. I lean back against Jacob, and he kisses my neck softly.

"I'm ready to go," I tell him, and he grabs my lunchbox and carries it out for me. I lock the door behind me, knowing that the things I really want to keep out can easily get past it.

 **So what do you think? How was it? What's going on with Bella? Do you guys like the Paul/Leah pairing? I love the Bella/Leah friendship. Please review and let me know! Thank you for all reviews, follows, and favorites! You guys are the best 3**


	9. Chapter 9: A Moment Like This

Chapter 9: A Moment Like This

 **A/N: Ok guys, hope you like the new chapter. Happy reading! 3**

I leave Jake at my house so that he can shift and run in the woods behind Newton's Olympic Outfitters to wait for me. With everything that was going on, I didn't even think about how awkward things with Mike might be after last night.

I walk into the store, and Mike is there. I think that maybe everything will be ok, that he will see that we were never meant to be more than friends, and it will all go away. No such luck. Mike is training me tonight, though he tells me that he begged his father to do it instead.

"Ok, Bella. We will work together every now and then, but mostly you will just be closing the store by yourself. I will train you to do so. We will not talk about anything that doesn't pertain to the store or training. Are we in agreement?" he asks curtly. I can feel the coldness rolling off of him. He is NOT happy with me.

"No problem, Mike," I answer, trying not to sound short, myself. I find it frustrating that he doesn't see what I do. Every now and then he makes some snide comment about not being good enough. He even facetiously asked me how Jake is doing.

Mostly the job is making sure everything is in its place and neat. Aside from dealing with customers, the only thing to do is lock up and sweep and spot mop. The hours SAY 4-8 but really it's more like 8:30. There are things I can do while the store is still open, but I can't finish everything up until after the doors are locked at 8pm.

The night goes fine, and he tells me that from now on, I will work Wednesday and Saturday at the same times. Mike teaches me how to lock the doors and hands me a set of my own keys. I get in my vehicle and drive to my house, knowing that Jake would be waiting for me there.

I unlocked my front door, and walked straight through the house to the back door to open it for Jacob. He had apparently just finished phasing, because he walked out of the woods naked, with some shorts tied to his leg. I couldn't help but ogle this man, this beautiful creature walking toward me. He could have put the shorts on before coming out, but he chose for me to see him like this. He wants me to look at him.

I finally look up and see him staring at me. I expect to see him smirking, but instead, there is fire in his eyes. A need I can't explain comes over me, and I jump into his arms and wrap my legs around his waist, kissing him deeply. I'm thinking maybe I should thank Jessica for the recent experience she gave him, because he is excellent at it. He carries me into the house, wiping the snow from his feet on the back rug and closing the door. Pulling my legs from around his waist, he swings them to the side and carries me up the stairs while kissing me thoroughly.

He lays me down on the bed and I feel the paper wrinkle beneath me. I stop in a flash, remembering what the letter said. I pull back from Jacob and look at him with all of the love in the world.

"Jake, we're supposed to be talking about this. This thing that's happening between us... it's intense, and amazing. But I don't want to lead you on. Edward was becoming a distant memory before today, and now he's leaving me letters? Is he back? Is he not? Not that that would change anything between us," I add, seeing his eyes go dark. "I just mean, if he's back, I may need to work through some more things. I don't know what seeing him would do."

"So, do you not want to do this anymore until you figure out if he's here or not?" he asks, a little angry.

"Of course I do. I love you, Jake, so much. Nothing will change that. But I still have a part of my heart that loves him. And I don't want that to change how you feel about me. Please, Jacob. Keep fighting for me. Don't give up." His face softens and he pulls my body into his, holding me tightly.

"I'll never give up, Bella," he assured me.

"I really would like to call you my boyfriend. Is that something we can do? I mean, privately. I don't want Charlie to know yet, because he will make me stay at Leah's until this is over. What do you think?" I beam up at him.

"I think that I would do anything you asked me to, Isabella Swan. But you know that everyone is going to know, right? I can't hide this. Everyone already knows about last night, because once I phase, my thoughts aren't my own anymore. We can try our best to keep it from your dad, but I know once Billy finds out, he will tell him," Jake reminds me, running his hand underneath my shirt to cup my breast. I shiver as his thumb rubs over my nipple, and he leans up to kiss my neck.

"Dad will expect me at Harry's to tell him about my first day, Jake. Maybe put your shorts on? I can't concentrate while you're naked."

"You find me distracting? That was kinda the point of not dressing in the woods," he chuckles. I knew it. I laugh, too, and kiss him softly on the lips, then push myself up off of the bed, taking the letter and putting it on my dresser. I see Jake out of the corner of my eye, getting up and wiggling his basketball shorts up his well-muscled thighs. I'm struggling to stay where I'm at.

Jake walks over and wraps his arms around my waist from behind me. I lean backwards into him, savoring the warm, spicy smell of his skin. He's too perfect. Sometimes I think I might be imagining him.

"You ready? I'll drive," he says, reaching into my pocket to get my keys, pulling me back further against his hardness. I shiver again and he kisses my neck, then grabs my hand to walk us back downstairs.

"Bells! How was your first night at work?" Charlie asks.

"Oh, you know. It was work. I'm pretty sure I could do what I need to, in my sleep. I work again Wednesday," I relay the information Mike gave me about my schedule. Charlie nods.

"Listen, I asked Harry and Sue if it would be ok if you stayed the night here. I haven't seen you in a while. I'm missing my little girl. Leah said you could share her bed," he finishes, obviously uncomfortable with this admission of emotion. I look over at Leah and she mouths 'Oh yeah' and wiggles her eyebrows up and down in mock suggestion. I am a little sad at the prospect of not getting to kiss Jake goodnight, but I know how much it takes for Charlie to show any affection, so I take it.

"Sure thing, Dad. I've missed you, too," I smile.

The school bell rings, and I come out of the building and look to the right. Just inside the wood line is Paul, keeping watch to make sure that I am not being hunted by anyone. I climb into my truck, driving straight to the Res so that Jake can come with me to the therapist. This seems like a lot of work to put them through, and I feel terrible. I know for sure that Jacob is spread very thin, what with extra classes and work to graduate early, pack meetings, patrol, and protecting me. Not to mention all he does at home to help Billy, and keeping up with chores there. Billy does manage to get some things done, but because his legs don't work properly, he can't do a whole lot. Jake has even stopped taking mechanic work. He just doesn't have the time.

I half expected Jake to be outside, walking around shirtless, doing yard work. I went inside and find him passed out on the couch, looking so peaceful that I almost couldn't wake him. I know that if I didn't, though, I would be putting myself in danger, and I would make everyone angry with that.

"Jake, hey," I say softly, shaking him a little harder than I would to wake Charlie. "Hey, wake up."

"He sleeps like the dead, Bella," I hear from the other room, and I almost jump out of my skin. "You'll either have to yell or splash him with water. After you wake him, have him come help me out of bed really quick if you have time. I had a nice nap," Billy finishes.

Knowing that he was stuck in his bed gave me a bit of an advantage. I lean down and kiss him, tracing my fingers along the side of his neck. He stirs and starts kissing me back. My hand moves down, running over his chest, then his stomach, drawing lines in between his muscles there.

"Well that's a nice way to wake up," he whispers.

"Get up, Jake. Billy needs your help getting out of bed, then you are riding with me to the therapist. I want you to bring your homework so you can work on it while you wait for me to get out, so grab your backpack, too."

He stands up obediently and mockingly bows toward me, then walks to Billy's room. I giggle at his silliness. I hear grunts from Billy, and then hear his wheelchair before I see him.

"Dad, remind me to get my WD40 for your chair when I get back. It's getting squeaky again. I'm going with Bells to her therapist, since she can't be anywhere alone," he laughs facetiously. "Don't worry, she's making me bring my homework. Look what a good influence she is!"

Billy laughs. "Just make sure you actually do it, instead of staring at her. What? Did I say something wrong?" he teases, after Jacob shoves him playfully.

When we pull up to the therapist's office, I suddenly get really nervous. I know that this particular one must know about the supernatural world, because Carlisle spoke to him about me. It's a good thing that Dad picked the right one, but then I guess that someone from the Tribal Council probably made a recommendation.

I walk in, still bundled up from the winter air, and have to strip my coat off immediately. It's warm in here. Jake takes my jacket and places it on the chair next to where he sits while I sign in at the front desk. I turn around to see him staring at my ass. He smiles up at me, then pats the chair beside him. I sit down and he grabs my shaking hand.

"OK, Jake, get out your homework, please. I brought mine, too. Our lives may be pure chaos, but we have to keep some sense of normalcy. Plus, I'm excited that we might be able to go to college at the same time," I grin. His face falls a little at this, and I think that maybe I should talk with him about it later.

"Sure, sure," he answers in true Jacob style. He takes his homework out of his backpack and waits for me to grab mine. We get to work in silence, there being no one else in the office. Not long after, a woman comes out of the door next to the front desk and calls my name. Jake stands up first, then pulls me out of my seat gently. He hugs me and gives a gentle kiss to my cheek.

"Isabella, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Scott," she introduces herself after we sit. I expected a couch or something, but the room is furnished with a desk, an office chair, and two comfy plush chairs on the other side.

"Nice to meet you, too, Dr. Scott," I say automatically. She smiles at me. Her wine lipstick looking lovely against her dark skin.

"So, Isabella, what would you like to talk about today?"

"Bella. I prefer Bella," I smile. "I honestly don't have much to talk about. My dad is making me do this." She tilts her head and looks at me intensely, with the smile still plastered on her face.

"Ok Bella. I've already been informed of everything that is going on, so I really just need you to cooperate with me. I really, truly want to help you, but I need you to tell me what is going on so that I can go through the proper channels without being dinged. Do you understand? Dr. Cullen has told me everything." She clears her throat. "Everything."

I roll my eyes a little at the intrusion of my privacy that has happened here. I know this isn't her fault, but I am too scared not to go along. After Edward's letter, anything could be wrong. Alice could've seen me going crazy and murdering people.

"My ex-boyfriend, Dr. Cullen's son, Edward, left me in the middle of the forest by myself a couple of months ago. He disappeared without a trace. No one has seen or heard from them since, until I found a letter in my room from him yesterday. The letter obviously wasn't a deciding factor for me to come here today... well, maybe it was. I was going to skip this appointment."

"I see. And how did it make you feel to find that letter?" she asks.

"Terrible. I have a new boyfriend, and I love him, but somehow Edward makes me feel so horrible and empty. He left me. He told me that he had never loved me, and that he didn't want me. I found the letter and felt my heart being ripped out of my chest again," I explain, trying to keep myself from wrapping my arms around my middle. I refuse to give him the power anymore.

"This new boyfriend. I hear he is supernatural as well," she states. I gasp as I realize how much she really does know. "He makes you feel better, yes?"

"Um, yes. He does. I don't feel the need to hold myself together anymore. He helps me to not... uh, fly apart," I finish.

"That is fantastic news, Bella. But there is something else I need to ask about. Alice mentioned... are you hallucinating? Are you seeing things that aren't there?" I wasn't prepared for this. I haven't told anyone about it, because I knew that everyone would think I was crazy.

"Well, for the sake of being fully honest... Yes. I sometimes see Edward. I thought I saw Jake once, too," I recount.

"And these visions. Are they corporeal? Meaning, can you feel them? And are they audible?"

"They are not corporeal. If I try to touch them, they swirl into nothing. But yes, they are audible sometimes," I tell her. She nods her head. "If you don't mind me asking, how are you able to know all of these things? I have been threatened with death for knowing about them. You aren't like the Cullens. What are you?"

"I'm licensed therapist. I'm also a witch," she winks. "Bella, it is my recommendation that you see a neurologist to rule out any physical medical problems before we move on. I will make sure you get in as soon as possible to the neurologist that the Tribal Council and the Cullens agree is the best for the job." Dr. Scott stands up and walks around her desk to open the door. She holds her hand out in the 'after you' gesture. "My secretary will call you with information regarding your appointments. I hope to see you again."

"Thanks, Dr. Scott," I say pleasantly. On the inside, my guts are twisted in knots, and I'm trying not to scream. I've gotten so good at hiding pain that I'm sure someone who doesn't know me wouldn't think anything was wrong. Jake is staring at me. He picks up all of our stuff and walks over to me, grabbing my hand. He leads me over to the exit and lets go of my hand to open the door for me, ushering me out.

He opens the passenger side of the truck for me, giving me a little boost by picking me up by my hips. It's really unnecessary, but I like that he does it. He climbs in to drive and tosses me my jacket, which I put on right away. I scoot over as close as I can to him, pulling his arm around me. We sit in silence most of the way, before Jacob speaks.

"Bells... I really don't want to tell you, but I feel like I should." He looks at me sideways, catching my eyes. "I heard everything. I wasn't trying to listen, but my hearing picks up everything now." He hesitates again, before continuing, "Why didn't you tell me that you were hallucinating?"

"Would you have told me? I didn't want you to think I was crazy," I say, trying to scoot away now. He pulls me back into his side.

"I love you, Bells. Even if you were crazy, which you aren't, I would still love you. My love doesn't have qualifiers. Speaking of... I really need to finish talking to you about this. Mind if we stop at the beach?" He pulls in without waiting for my answer.

He climbs out of the truck and I slide out of the driver's side behind him. We walk until we reach our log and I sit down. Jake paces for a minute, looking extremely nervous. I'm not sure I've ever seen him like this.

"So," he starts. "You've seen Sam with Emily. Did you notice her face?"

"I did. I was warned first by the boys to not stare. I knew better than to ask. To be fair, she's still fucking gorgeous, even with the scar," I say truthfully. "I think it makes her look a little badass."

"It's not BADASS, Bella! That happened when she and Sam were arguing one day. He got a little too mad, and BAM he phased. There wasn't enough room and she got hurt! And she's his IMPRINT!" he shouts at the sky.

"Jake, you wouldn't hurt me," I start, then he interrupts me.

"No, Bella, not purposely, I wouldn't. But accidents happen. I want you to be very aware that something like this could happen. If I could stand it, I wouldn't have you here."

"What are you saying, Jake? You don't want me around?" I stifle a sob.

"No, honey, of course not. I just want to protect you. I don't want you to get hurt. That's what happens when you imprint on someone. You protect them at all costs. You try to be everything that they could ever need," he soothes me, crouching down.

"Are you saying... Are you trying to say that I'm your imprint?" I ask curiously.

"Yes, Bells. I've known since that day on this beach. The memory that I told everyone about in the hot tub, that was the day. I ached for you every day that you were gone. I waited until you moved back to Forks. I was your friend through all of your time with Edward. I have waited every day since that day, I've held on for dear life, wanting you to notice my love for you. I have tried so hard to be patient, Bells, so that I could live the rest of my life with you."

 **So, what did you think? Of course I know Jake Imprinting before phasing, and on Bella isn't Canon, but I love this version of events. Jacob is special, y'all. Remember, Follow, Favorite, Review! I would love some new reviews. Thank you guys for reading, you're the best!**


	10. Chapter 10: A Thing Called Love

Chapter 10: A Thing Called Love

 **A/N: Adding a bit of drama and something nice to end the chapter. Happy Reading! Also, I wrote a One-shot called The Quartet. Go check it out, leave a review! It's in the future a little for Jacob, Bella, Leah, and Paul.**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight Universe and all characters, I just play with them.**

We arrive at Harry's to an ambulance leaving, sirens blaring. Jacob speeds into the drive, slamming the red beast into park and jumping out quickly. I follow as fast as I can, looking for anyone who might be able to give me some information. I run into the house and see Charlie, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

"Dad, what happened?! Who is hurt?! Dad, you have to talk to me," I told him urgently.

"It's Harry. He had a heart attack. They are still working on him in the ambulance, but I don't think he's going to make it. I did CPR for 20 minutes before they got here. He wasn't breathing, Bella."

I look over at Jake, who is in the kitchen trying to calm Sue down. He has his big arms wrapped around her, rubbing her back slowly. He looks up at me and mouths for me to come help him. I walk to him and try to get Sue to sit at the kitchen table.

"Seth phased for the first time when it happened," he whispers. "Big emotion can cause these things to happen. I have to go find him and help him figure out how to phase back. It can take some of us a while. He doesn't need to be stuck as a damn wolf while this is happening," he finishes, and kisses me on the top of my head. "Take care of them for me, Bells. I'll be back," he said in his regular voice.

"Are you going to go find Leah and Seth? Seth phased... I didn't know what to do. Leah phased directly after, to follow him and calm him down. We need to find them so that they can get to the hospital. We'll leave the keys to the truck for you, I'll pack Sue and Bella into the cruiser. We're going to the hospital. Meet us there as soon as you can," Charlie told Jacob.

Charlie towed a sobbing Sue to the car, and I followed, locking the door on the way out. We climbed into the cruiser and drove to Billy's, telling him what happened. Billy wanted to come to the hospital with us, so Charlie helped him into the car. He needs the leg room in the front seat, so Sue climbs into the back with me. Charlie hightails it to the hospital in Forks, leaving his cruiser parked in a no parking zone.

"Hi, I'm Sue Clearwater, I'm the wife of Harry Clearwater. He was brought in here by ambulance a little while ago. I would like to see him, please," Sue said as calmly as she could to the nurse at the front desk.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. He's still in trauma, and I can't let you see him yet. I will go and see if I can get an update for you though," she says sweetly. We go and sit in the waiting area, sitting in silence while we wait for the nurse to come back.

About 10 minutes later, a male doctor comes out. We all stand up and walk over to him. I know this look. This is the look that the doctor had when he told us that my Gran was dead. I grab Sue's hand as we hear the worst.

"I'm so sorry. We did everything we could to try to save Harry's life. Despite our best efforts, he died. I'm truly sorry," he apologized.

If Charlie hadn't been standing there on the other side of Sue, I would have dropped her. She collapsed, and I tried to catch her, but my arms couldn't take the dead weight. Charlie caught the other side of her shortly after I did. We semi-carried her back to the seat that she was just sitting in. I tried to call Jake, thinking I would have to leave a voice mail.

"I'm pulling in," was all I heard, then a click. Jacob ran through the door less than a minute later. He was followed by a scantily clad Leah. If you didn't know these people, you would think with Jacob's lack of a shirt and Leah's sports bra and cutoffs, that they were just caught in the act and had no time to grab other clothes.

Leah saw her mother and broke down, sobbing on the floor where she stood. Jacob walked over to Sue and sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her once again. He looked at me and I shook my head. I could see defeat bow his body as he accepted the knowledge of Harry's death. I march over to Leah and do my best to straighten my spine. I sit down on the floor next to her, and pull her head into my lap. I make 'shh' noises as I stroke her hair, brushing my fingers across the side of her face every now and then to soothe her.

Soon the only sounds coming from our group are hiccups and heavy breathing. Sue ambles up to the desk and asks to be able to see her husband one last time. They allow only family back to see the deceased, so the nurse almost will not let Charlie and I back.

"He's my BROTHER, dammit! My skin means nothing. It means NOTHING! If Sue here says it's ok for me to be back there, then I will go. I'd like to see you stop me," he cautioned. "Sue will go back to see her husband by herself for as long as she needs. Then if Leah wants to go alone, or with her mother, that will happen, too. But I will see Harry."

"Yes sir," the nurse says as she sees Sue agrees. Sue goes back first. We wait for a long time before she comes out again, and asks Leah if she wants her to go with her. She does, so they both go back. They are back there for about 10 minutes before Leah comes out again, bawling her eyes out, unable to walk the rest of the way down the hall. Jacob rushes to Leah and picks her up, carrying her the rest of the way to the seats. I volunteer to stay with Leah so that Jake and Charlie can go see Harry. Jake comes out before Dad and Sue.

"I told Charlie and Sue that if you guys wanted, I will drive you guys back to the Res. I need to get back and check on Seth. He needs to hear this in person, so I will wait to phase until I am near him. Leah, do you want to go or would you like to stay and wait for your mom?" he asks her softly, putting his hand on her back.

"Can you take me to Paul? I just really need to see him. Please, Jake. Is he with Seth?" she wants to know.

"I will drop you by his house. If he's not there, when I phase I will send him directly home. I will make sure he gets to you, Le-Le," he soothed, using her childhood nickname.

Climbing in the truck I feel a sense of unease, leaving Charlie here. One of his best friends just died. But I know he and Sue will comfort each other. They are in the best company they could have.

We drop Leah by Lahote's house, and sure enough, he's not there. Jake reiterates his promise to have Paul come as quickly as possible, and he takes me to Sam's. I will stay with Emily while the pack tries to figure out how to get Seth to phase back, and Sam will come to keep an eye on me as soon as Jake gets to where he needs to go.

This is the first time I've seen Emily since... Well since everything. There has been so much that has happened since then. I walk in and find her cooking, something I think she must do more often than most, being like the pack mom.

"Bella. How are you? I heard about Harry. His death is such a loss for our community, and I know that your father was so close to him. This must be hard for you, as well," she says to me, walking closer.

"Well, yes, it is. I'm probably the person least affected, but it hurts me to see my dad so devastated. He's... not doing well with this," I finish hesitantly. She walks the rest of the way to me, and holds out her arms. I sit on the fence about it for a second, then I walk into them. Her arms trap my sobs. I lay my head on her shoulder and let out all of the shit I've been holding in this week, while she rubs my back. After a couple of minutes, I come back to myself, realizing that all of my crying must seem like overkill to her.

"Thank you," I say after I back away from her. She smiles at me and asks if I'm hungry. I laugh, because I understand why she is asking. Everyone here eats like it's their last meal. "I actually AM hungry. Whatcha got?"

"I just made a batch of fry bread. It's actually Billy's wife's recipe. Sarah had a real knack for cooking. She has a recipe book that she released to the tribe a few years before she died, and I use it all of the time. Most of these kids here have moms, but I know when Jake has had a bad day, making something from the cookbook always helps. I have actually been meaning to get you a copy," she gushed. "I know it's not my business, but Sam told me that you and Jake have... Um, moved forward... in your relationship. I'm really happy for you guys. I hope you make it official soon."

"Thanks," I smile back. "Well, since you are going to figure it out soon, anyway... We have. Made it official, you know. But we haven't told Charlie or Billy, yet. We think that once they figure it out, there will be much policing of our time. And right now, we actually get a lot of time together, since this vampire shit is happening. I don't want that ruined."

"Hmmm... That's a good point. I mean you ARE 18, though, right? What could they do, really?" she wondered aloud.

"Well Jake isn't yet. His birthday is coming up pretty soon, but he'll still only be 17."

"That's not how it works with the Quileutes, though. As soon as you phase into a wolf, you are considered a man. An adult. Obviously Billy is still the Chief, so he could tell him what to do within reason, but he really can't micromanage what he does. Jacob will be Chief one day, so he must teach him justice, or he could rule over Billy unfairly," Emily maintained.

"I hadn't thought about that. I mean, I don't want to make anyone hate us," I qualify my reasoning.

"No one would hate you. Everyone here knows the teachings. Besides, your relationship is subject to special rules, since..." and she trails off.

"Ah. The imprint," I insert.

"So he finally told you?! Ah man, I'm so excited! I was so worried that you would be over here one day and I'd let it slip somehow. Jacob is special, Bella. No one else here imprinted before they phased. It could be because no one else KNEW their imprints before then. We can't be certain," she grins. "I'm just saying that I think special circumstances provide special rules."

"I'm not sure Charlie will be ok with the Tribe rules," I giggle.

"Eh, he loves you! He'd be ok, especially since you would live on the Res. Not much he can do if you don't live with him!"

All of a sudden, the potentialities of this situation were brought to my attention. I wasn't even considering that I'm an adult. That I will be done with school in a matter of months. That I will have to move out, take care of myself. Moving in with Jake? Gaining a father in law? A whole tribe? Babies? Oh my God, little cafe latte babies. I can practically feel my ovaries screaming. There are such few babies in the tribe right now, since the big baby boom happened back between 16 and 20 years ago. They are at the time where they will soon have babies of their own. Am I going to be expected to give them babies? Will they be treated the same if they aren't full Quileute?

I'm still so long that she hands me a fry bread and a cup of water. I look up at her and say thank you, then sit down at the table. I take a bite of the fry bread and, oh my goodness, it's like Heaven. A little spice cloud in my mouth.

"It's pumpkin. The fry bread, that is. The stuff is delicious, isn't it? Sarah was an extraordinary woman. Billy was such a wanderer way back when. Sarah stuck around and helped him turn into a really good man. You know, he's one of a few guys that could actually be Embry's dad. He could be Jake's brother! Obviously he was married, so we kinda hope he's Sam's brother instead, since his father left when he was young," she is talking excitedly.

"You don't get a whole lot of ladies over this way, huh?" I'm genuinely curious. She laughs.

"No. I'm sorry for talking your head off. Leah is around, but that's more awkward than anything I want to deal with. You know, until she phased, she thought the whole imprint thing was a lie? That Sam had just left her for me because I was prettier or something. She of course knew about things because her dad used to phase. The families of the wolves are given a little leeway, since they need to know for the future. Leah is the first woman to phase that we know of. Did you know that? We're not sure why."

"That's really interesting," I say.

"You must be tired. Here, we'll put on a rom-com and chill out on the couch. If you fall asleep, I'll put a blanket over you and make sure that Jacob picks you up. No big deal," she assures me, smiling again.

We sit down on the couch and she puts on 10 Things I Hate About You. One of my all-time favorites. I curl my legs up to the side and lean over on the arm of the couch, knowing sleep would come. The last thing I remember is Bianca telling Cameron that he could tutor her in French...

"Bells, I'm going to pick you up and drive you back to my house," I heard Jacob tell me. I open my eyes and he scoops me up in his arms. "I'll bring your blanket back tomorrow, Ems. Can you hand her shoes to me please? Thanks."

I feel a blast of cold to my face and know we are outside, then he sits me in the truck. I try to keep myself upright while he walks around to the driver side. He pulls me against his side and holds me there for the short drive to his house. When he stops the truck, I hear other voices. I recognize Charlie and Billy, and Seth I think, as well. I open my eyes, but they won't stay. Jake pulls me out of the truck, holding me against his warm body.

"How is she? I know she was kinda left alone with Emily for a while, did she say that she was ok? I can't believe that Edward left her a letter," said Charlie.

"She said she didn't even mention it. She did say that she cried for a little while, but that she seemed to be not as upset about Harry's death, as about just everything in general. I wish I had been there to comfort her," Jacob whispered.

"Jake... Um, maybe we can have a talk? Can you go put her down on the couch, please?" Charlie asked hesitantly.

"Sure, sure. Do you mind if she takes my bed tonight? I'll take the couch. She just has been sleeping on couches for a few days and I'd really just like to know she got a good night's sleep."

"I mean, if you're ok with sleeping on the couch, I won't deny her the bed. Sure, that's fine," answered Charlie.

I feel myself being carried again, and I hear the door open. I hear the door shut behind me, then feel being laid down on the bed.

"Bells, I know you can hear me. I know you are awake, I can hear your heartbeat. Listen, I think your dad is about to have THE talk with me. What do you want me to do?"

"Just try not to tell him. Please. I just don't think it's going to go over well."

"And if he asks me directly, you want me to just LIE to your FATHER? I can't do that, Bella. I can't lie to him," he pleads.

"You're right, Jacob. I don't want you to lie if he asks you. But if you can avoid it... Please do. I'm just not ready to deal with any trouble." His lips find mine in the dark, and he leaves hurriedly.

I lay awake for the next 20 minutes, worrying about what is being talked about. I can't go back to sleep. My mind is racing, so I get up and unwrap myself from Emily's blanket. I grab a drink and walk outside, looking for them, knowing they are close by. I hear them talking in the garage, so I walk closer, debating on whether to listen only, or go in.

"Charlie, listen, it's not like that. I love Bella. It's actually more than love... It's hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it before... Dad, can you help me out a little?" Jake requests of Billy.

"Sure, son. Imprinting is not anything you can choose or change. Charlie, do you remember when you first met Renee? Do you remember how you felt like you would do anything to get her attention, to try to be anything she needed to make her stay? You compromised yourself for her, so that she would be happy, and you each ended up resenting the other. Imprinting is something that happens with the wolves, and quite opposite of trying to change for someone else. It's like, the person you Imprint upon is what is holding you here, that they are the reason for your existence. You are literally whatever they need. If they need a friend, your wolf befriends them. If they need love, your wolf loves them. If they need to be told they're an asshole... Well let's just say that you maybe could have used a wolf with Renee." They all laugh at this. I smile and knock on the garage door.

"Come in, Bells," Jake says softly.

"How did you know it was me?" I inquire, as I walk in the door and sit next to him.

"I can smell you. I heard your heart beat. I felt your nearness."

Charlie clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable. We all sit there for a second, and Jake grabs my hand. Dad's eyes shift down to take it in. Jake and I have always been close. We've held hands for years. But this feels different to Chief Swan, and it makes him uneasy. I start to shiver, and Jake wraps his arms around me.

"Hey now," he says. "No funny business."

"She is cold, and needs warmth. I'm warm. I'm here for that," Jacob deadpans. The look in his eyes is almost challenging. "Chief Swan, I'm here for whatever she needs. I'm not here because she's pretty or because I want in her pants, like Mike Newton. I'm here because she needs me, and my wolf... me, _I_ need _her._ I know it goes against your better judgment to leave her with me, knowing that we are in love. But I really need you to see past our age, and look at biological fact. We were made for each other, and nothing is going to change that." Charlie looks upset for a minute. I can see the wheels turning, using the information he has been given to come to a solution for this situation in which everyone will be safe and happy. He suddenly stands up, causing all of us to jump.

"Stand up, son," he says to Jake. My love looks down at me for a second, and unwraps my arms from around his waist. He stands and looks Charlie in the eye. Charlie holds out his hand, and Jake takes it. "I love you like you are my own, Jacob. If there was anyone I could choose for Bella, it would be you," he smiles, letting go of his hand. "Don't make this something I will regret. She is the only person who holds my heart. If you hurt her, you hurt me. I love you, but that doesn't mean that I'm happy about this. She's an adult now, so whatever she decides to do is fine by me. I just... be careful guys. I'm too young to be a granddad, and you both need to go to college."

"The birds and the bees are a little late here, don't you think, Chief?" Billy laughs out.

"Uh uh. I don't wanna hear it, Billy. I don't want to know anything else. And guys, try not to be too obvious out in the open... I would say that I don't care what people think, but I'm the Chief of Police."

"We understand completely, Dad. No funny business," I say, grinning.

 **So what do you think? A decent chapter? At least Charlie knows now, right? Do you think Bella should just move in with Jake like Emily is insinuating? Stay home? Follow, review, favorite! Thanks guys, you're the best 3**


	11. Chapter 11: Count on Me

Chapter 11: Count On Me

 **A/N: Ok guys! New chapter time! I hope you like it!**

 **To answer you, Twin268, the way I feel about it is that his wolf had a need that had to be filled. It wasn't really a love thing, the date with Jess was definitely Jake's idea, and I doubt his wolf was very happy about it. But you know Jake ;) His wolf needed to knock it out, so he did lol... Thank you for asking the good questions! :)**

I wake up in the morning, having fallen asleep on the couch, curled up on Jacob's lap. My alarm on my phone is blaring. I'm glad that next week starts Christmas break, I'll be able to sleep in. I shake Jake, hard. He needs to wake up and I have morning breath. He looks at me with clouded eyes, smiling.

"Hey honey. Is it already time to wake up? Ugh, I feel like ass. I swear if I wasn't working my ass off to graduate early, I would just go back to sleep," he lamented, trying to keep his eyes open. I kiss him on the cheek and hop up to get to the bathroom before he does.

Brushing my teeth, I look in the mirror and see the dark circles under my eyes. Just 3 and a half more days, and I will get a break from school. These late nights are starting to get to me. I hop in the shower and rid myself of yesterday's mess. I start to think about Jake again, and have an idea.

I finish as quickly as I can and grab my towel, wrapping it around myself. I look into the living room and don't see him there. I push open his bedroom door and he's not there, either. He must be peeing outside, since I was in the shower. I sit down on his bed, waiting for Jake. I hear the front door close, then him making his way to the bathroom. My ears pick up the sounds of him brushing his teeth. When the sink shuts off, I stand up and try to look as alluring as possible. He opens the door to his room, where I'm standing with the towel still wrapped around myself. He closes the door softly and locks it, trying not to wake Billy yet.

"Bells..." Jacob murmurs, taking a step toward me. His heavy lidded eyes are staring at me hungrily. I drop my towel and his dark eyes widen, his mouth forming a small 'o' as he groans softly at the sight of my naked body. He glides up to me, so graceful that it's beautiful. His muscled arms reach out and pull my waist to him, and our lips join, crashing together.

He inches closer to me so that I have to walk backward, turning me slightly as we go. The backs of my knees hit his bed and my body falls backward. Jake catches me and eases me down slowly, climbing into the small bed beside me. He slides his shirt over his head and drops his mouth to my right nipple, grabbing my other breast with his hand and kneading it roughly. His pajama bottoms are doing nothing to hide his rock hard cock, pressing into my thigh. I groan into his mouth when his hand moves to my glistening mound, rubbing my clit for a few moments before pushing his finger into my ready slit. I buck my hips up to meet his hand, feeling like nothing else exists but he and I.

"I love you, Bella," he breathes into my mouth. "Remember that," he says. He pulls off his pants, climbing in between my creamy thighs. He reaches over to his nightstand, grabbing a condom and rolling it on. His thick dick waits at my entrance for just a moment, then plunges in. I gasp at the fullness I feel, brimming with Jacob. His body starts pumping, his throbbing cock sliding in and out of me.

"On your knees," he commands. He grabs my hips and flips me over onto my knees, pushing my chest down onto the bed. He thrusts back into me, groaning again and grabbing a fistful of my hair. "Do you like that? How does it feel when I fuck you like this?" He slams into me over and over, harder than before. I clench at the sheets, moaning in ecstasy, my body reacting solely to his will.

"So! Good! Jake! Oh! God! So! Good!" my answer comes out staccato from his motions. I feel the telltale burn of an oncoming orgasm, but before I reach my peak, Jacob's hips stutter to a stop. I can feel that he's finished, and my heart sinks a little. I guess after the first time, I expected every other time to be just as good. He flips me back over onto my back and runs his hand back down to my juicy center.

"Sorry babe, I got a little excited," he grins. "No worries, I'll still help you finish."

"You're such a gentleman!" I giggle.

His fingers stroke my lips languidly, going just to the inside of my folds to find the gem nestled there. His fingers glide up and down while he sucks on my tit, nibbling my nipple attentively. His mouth finds its way back up to mine, and he pushes his fingers inside me, sliding them in and out to a perfect rhythm. I can feel him crook his fingers in a 'come hither' motion, and my passion starts building again.

"Oh, Jake, I'm going to cum!" I whisper urgently. He kisses me harder, moving his mouth down the side of my neck and back up my jaw. He lowers his head once more to my breast, sucking on my hardened nipple. With his fingers still inside me, he brings his thumb up to rub on my precious pearl. My wave crests and crashes down all around me. I grab Jacob's pillow and throw it over my face, pressing it into my mouth to stifle the sounds.

Waiting until my beautiful ride is done, Jake pulls the pillow off of my face and kisses me again, cupping my face in a loving gesture. He gets up and tosses the used condom in the garbage, picking up my towel and using it to clean himself off. He then comes over and cleans me as well. Jacob looks up at me with so much love in his eyes, I can feel the intensity.

"You are perfection, Isabella Marie Swan. I... I want you to move in with me. Live with me here. Listen, I know we are young. But this is forever. You're already staying here because of the leeches. I know it was only supposed to be temporary, but I'm ready to start forever with you."

Just then, my phone rings. I recognize it as a local number, so thinking that it could be someone I know, I hold my finger up to Jake, then answer it.

"Hello, may I speak to Bella Swan, please?" the voice asks.

"This is she."

"Miss Swan, this is the secretary from Dr. Scott's office. I was calling to inform you that your appointment for an MRI has been scheduled for this afternoon. I'm sorry for the short notice, but Dr. Scott called and asked that they get you in as soon as possible so that we can move forward with your treatment."

The lady proceeded to tell me the address and time, being 1 pm, and what things I needed to bring. She asked me if I had anything to eat or drink yet, and thank God I hadn't. That's the reason for the early call, so they could catch me before breakfast. So I have to fast all day so that they can put me under anesthesia.

I'm just going to stay home. I'll call Charlie, maybe hang out with Leah today. She graduated a couple of years ago. She works at the local furniture store, and I know I can lounge around there all morning. That is, if she went in. I'll have to call and ask. Jake and I get dressed, and I call Charlie to update him on what is going on with the appointment. He is going to be meeting me at the hospital so that I'm not alone. Since everyone else will be at work, school, or on patrol, he will be the only one there.

When I call Leah's cell, she doesn't answer. Either she's at work, she's a wolf, or she's sleeping. Since I know that she's not on patrol, I'm going to wager that she's not phased right now. I really need to check on her and see how she's doing after her father's death yesterday.

"I'm staying home, too, so I can go with you," Jacob tells me adamantly.

"No. No you are not. You're not fucking up your grades. You have a lot of work to do. You need to go to school. Everything will be fine, this is a routine procedure. There's no cuts. Just an IV and they put me in a big tube to look at my brain. Everything is fine, Jake."

I kiss him, holding his body against mine for longer than necessary. I turn him around and pat him on the ass, and he figuratively tucks his tail between his legs and gets in his Rabbit to drive to La Push High.

I drove by the Clearwater house and see that Leah's little S-10 isn't there. I figure that she must be at work. I drive further into La Push and see her truck parked outside of the store where she works. I drive up to Rustic Home Furniture and turn off the truck, readying myself for the cold. After I put on my gloves, I head inside, looking around for Leah. I hear some voices coming from the back of the store, and thinking they were probably Leah and her boss, I cruise the floors, looking at the beautiful furniture.

"OH! Bella! It's Bella. Come out, Paul," Leah calls. "I thought you were my boss," she laughs.

"I thought PAUL was your boss," I laugh, too. "What were you guys doing back there?" I question, lifting my eyebrows suggestively.

"Exactly what it looked like, that's what it was," grinned Paul, walking out from behind Leah. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back into his chest. They really do make the perfect couple. He kissed her cheek and let go of her. "Sorry, sweetie, I have to go. Gotta get back to the office. I have a meeting with some guy who wants a house built. If you need me... If you need ANYTHING, please call me. I will be here." We both watched him walk out appreciatively.

"GIRL! That is a really gorgeous specimen of a man you have there. I know I'm Jake's, but I can totally see you are a lucky lady." She shoved me playfully and it made me glad I had leaned against the wall. She almost knocked me over. I laughed as I tried to keep my balance. "What? It's true!"

"I could say the same thing for you, _Bells_ ," she tittered, winking at me. "I can smell you from here. You smell like wolf. Jake's smell is very... distinct. I don't think anyone could miss that," she teases as I blush.

"Leah... I don't mean to change the subject on you, but I was just coming to check on you. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at home with Sue and Seth? I'm not trying to tell you how to grieve, I just... I think that maybe you might need them more than you think," I finish, and her face turns serious.

"I love you for checking on me. Mom is actually with Emily right now. She is helping with picking out clothes for Dad for the funeral. Seth is still a wolf. I think this will be really hard for him to come out of, because he can't calm down to phase back," she sighs. "I'm here because this place has a fax machine and printer, and I've been on the phone with the life insurance people for most of the day. I figured I might as well get paid."

"Oh, friend," I whisper, and walk over to hold her. Her body starts to shake and I worry that she will phase, but it's just soul-racking sobs. I lead her over to a couch and sit down, pulling her down with me, putting her head in my lap. I stroke her hair, running my fingers through it, and start singing.

 _ **If you're tossin and turnin**_

 _ **and you just can't fall asleep**_

 _ **I'll sing a song beside you**_

 _ **and if you ever forget**_

 _ **how much you really mean to me**_

 _ **I'll be there to remind you**_

She starts to quiet, calming down as I soothe her. I was never a great singer, but neither was Renee. I still love it when she sings to me. Music is soothing for the soul, and I tried to choose a fairly upbeat song.

 _ **You'll always have my shoulder**_

 _ **when you cry**_

 _ **Never let go**_

 _ **Never say goodbye**_

 _ **You can count on me**_

 _ **Like 1,2,3**_

 _ **I'll be there**_

I meet Charlie at the hospital at 12:45. I need to sign in and give my insurance card, and I guess that takes a little while? We wait after I do my intake, until a nurse calls me back. I'm really nervous.

"Chief, I know she is your daughter, but you can't be back here for the MRI. We will let you stay while they put her IV in, then you will have to go to the waiting area," the nurse warns Charlie. After last night, I guarantee she was warned about his behavior over Harry.

"It's ok, Dad. I'll be fine," I reassure him. He huffs his frustration and follows us into the hallway.

I wake up exactly where I went to sleep, which is not what I expected. The nurse told me that a doctor would be with me shortly, and that she was going to get my father, so I laid there waiting. Charlie came in a few minutes later and sat down beside me in the chair and held my hand. He's not big on affection, so it means a lot that he's doing this. The doctor walks in the room and Charlie stands to shake his hand.

"My name is Dr. Mallier. I'm a neurosurgeon, and I've come to talk to you about your MRI. I'm know that this scan was done in the mind of cutting out all possibilities of physical illness before you proceeded with therapy. I'm sorry to say that we have found a brain tumor." Charlie choked back a sob and squeezed my hand. "This type of tumor is operable, but we will need to shrink it first with radiation. It's coming close to the optic nerve, and if we do not start treatment soon, you can lose your vision."

"H-how... How big is it? Why do you need to shrink it?" I hear myself asking.

"It's about the size of a nickel. I've seen bigger, and I've seen much, much smaller. The biggest problem is where it's located. We can't cut it while it's so close to the optic nerve, at risk of your vision being lost. Basically we will shrink the tumor over the course of 6 weeks. Then we will do surgery to remove it. We will send the tumor to the lab after, to check whether it is benign or malignant."

Charlie is eerily quiet, staring into the air over the doctor's shoulder. I don't think he knows what to do with himself. And I'm so much like him... I guess I don't really know what to do with myself, either. This. This is what the letter was about. Edward was trying to make sure I got treatment for my brain tumor. Obviously I make it out of this if I follow the plan.

"What is the worst that could happen? What is the worst that could happen and I live through it?" I ask Dr. Mallier.

"We don't like to talk about worst-case scenarios. I can tell you the most likely outcomes, if that will help you though. So, the best chance is that you will come out of this alive, though thinner, with your vision intact. Radiation can take away your appetite, though we can get around that with a little help from some medical grade marijuana. A little less likely is that you will lose your vision when we are getting the tumor out. It isn't oddly shaped, so it should be easy to remove, once it's smaller."

"So, radiation for 6 weeks, then brain surgery. How long will it be after the surgery before we find out if it's cancer? And if it IS cancer, what do we do?" Dad asks quietly, squeezing my hand again.

"It shouldn't take too long. A matter of days, at most, and she would still be in the hospital recovering when we get the results. And if it IS cancer, we'll deal with it pretty much the same way. We did scan the rest of her to see if we could find anything else, and we didn't see anything. We will need to do blood work often, checking her cell counts and such," Dr. Mallier stopped talking and waited for another question, but we didn't say anything. "I'm really sorry for the news, guys, but it is my greatest hope that we will fix you as soon as possible. If you have any further questions, you can call back any time, and someone will answer them for you. The nurse will come in with information about where you will receive your radiation treatments and things like that. I'll see you next time."

"But Edward left the letter saying that Alice had these visions and gave me specific advice... So surely that means that everything will be fine, Jake. It's going to be hard, but I am going to make it through this, I just know it," I assure him.

"I feel so helpless! I want to help you. I want to do something that will make this stop. How is this fair?!" Jacob screams at the ceiling. "First Mom, and now you. I just... I just don't know what to do. Tell me what I can do to help," he almost cries. He's holding back his tears, but they are threatening to spill, glistening in his eyes.

"You're helping me already. I'm moving in here, and you're going to take care of me. I'll see if Sue can stay with me during the day, I'll need someone to, and since she's a nurse that will be handy. I don't want to put this on her yet, so I will wait until after I start the radiation. The side effects aren't supposed to start immediately, but I am expected to lose all the hair on my head at some point," I look at him with my chin lifted, too defiant to cry.

"You're moving in? Bells!" Jacob yelled, then picked me up gently and kissed me. He set me back down on his bed and looked at me sadly. "Have you told Charlie? I know Dad won't mind but I do need to run it by him."

"We talked about it briefly today after the appointment. He's ok with it, but you'll need to expect him to be here even more than normal," I chuckle.

"Are you ok? You're putting on a brave face, but I can feel that you are scared. You don't have to hide from me, love. It's ok, however you want to express your emotion. I will not think less of you if you don't take all of this well."

"I don't want to cry about it. I want to sleep it away. I want to go to sleep, and when I wake up, I want it to be g-gone," I start sobbing. "I sh-should have said something! I sh-should have told Charlie that I-I was hallucinating! I thought it was j-j-just my being crazy because Edward l-left. I c-can't even believe my sh-sh-shitty luck!" Jacob kneels down and kisses me, wiping my tears away. He puts his long arms around me and squeezes, harder than he normally would. I instantly start feeling better.

"It's a trick Sue taught me, called deep touch pressure. Rachel has anxiety pretty bad, and her panic attacks were much more manageable after I started using this. I'm not sure how it works, but it does," Jake informs me, not bothering to dry the tears running down his cheeks.

We sit this way for a while, with Jake on his knees beside me, squeezing my body. It really does help, even though I still am scared about what is happening, I'm not crying or hyperventilating. After a while, there's a knock on the door, and it opens without pause. Leah walks in and sees us, and kneels down on my other side. She laid her head on Jake's arms and wraps hers around my waist.

"What did they say, B?" Leah asks softly. I almost couldn't answer. Her father was just taken from her, and I don't want to give her anything else to cry about.

"I have a tumor in my brain," I sigh out. She looks up at me, and her lower lip trembles. "They won't know if it's cancerous until they remove it. I have to have 6 weeks of radiation before the surgery. So I at least have a little bit of time..." Leah lets go of my waist and wipes the tears from my cheeks. She puts her finger under my chin and lifts it.

"We are strong warriors. We win our battles. I will not sit here and listen to you talk about this as if you might die. You were made to be an Alpha's wife. You are the toughest of the tough. Nothing can beat you, Bella Swan. Nothing."

 **So? Did you like it? Let me know by reviewing! Thank you so much for the follows, reviews, and favorites! And thank you for reading 3**


	12. Chapter 12: Lost Boy

Chapter 12: Lost Boy

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this Tuesday's chapter! So far I'm keeping up at 2 chapters ahead, but that might slow down soon, so I might cut back to one chapter update a week. I will let you know if that happens! Happy reading!**

 **The Twilight Universe and characters are owned by the great Stephanie Meyer. I just play with them. No copyright infringement intended.**

Jacob's Point of View

I could stay the rest of my life like this, wrapped up in Bella. The guys give me hell about how much I let leak through the pack mind, but I can't help it, really. I'm always thinking about her. Since she started radiation she's just been so sick. I can't not do patrol, even though Sam told me he would give me a reprieve for a few months. I want to stay with her, but I have an obligation to my brothers and the entire tribe. Especially with the red headed leech still around, I can't just shirk my duty.

Watching her sleep, I push Bella's hair back from her face. We haven't had sex since she started treatment, much to her disappointment. She says I handle her like a China doll. Why wouldn't I, though, when I see her getting more fragile every day? My body still responds to her the same way it did, but I don't want to hurt her.

I look at the clock and see that it's 5 am. It's almost time for my patrol, so I get up and start to get ready for the day. I get Bella's anti-nausea meds ready with a bottle of water and sit them on the nightstand by my bed. I looked at Bella's planner yesterday, and noticed she should be getting her period soon, so I remind myself to go by the store later today. I need to go anyway since Christmas is less than a week away.

I'm so glad that since this was going to happen anyway, it's during break from school. I got permission to get all of the work I have to do for my classes to do over break, that way I can take some time off without missing anything once it starts back. There are perks to being the next Chief, I guess.

"Hey Paul," I say when I walk outside. He's waiting in the usual spot, right outside the garage. He's wearing the wolf uniform, which is basically just shorts and the ankle bracelet that Emily made for each of us to hook our rolled up clothes to. Our parents got tired of buying new clothes, and Emily decided to solve the problem.

"Jake," Paul acknowledged me, then started walking towards the woods. "How is she today? Leah said she's getting sicker."

"She didn't wake up to puke last night, so I guess that's a good thing," I answer. He reaches over and pats me on the back, then reaches down to take off his shorts, rolling them up and strapping them to his ankle. I do the same, looking forward to losing myself in the wolf. We phase and I can feel my anxiety falling away, being replaced by the need to hunt.

We start running in the same direction as normal, cutting a path into the woods to our perimeter mark point. About 15 minutes in, I get the scent of an unfamiliar bloodsucker. These motherfuckers just don't know when to quit! Paul picks it up at the same time and we turn as one toward the smell. Since we've had so many phase, we have a new protocol. One of the puppies stays phased for each shift, close to the center of the village so that we don't have to howl and alert the leeches.

Brady tells me he's going to go notify the pack, then his mind disappears. Paul and I run faster, and one by one we hear our brothers join our hunt. Leah is on shift to stay with Bells, so even though I'm sure she knows what is going on, her mind isn't present. Sam feels around and notices Leah's absence and his wolf relaxes a little.

The horrible smell of the tick is getting stronger, and I urge on my pack to move faster. Their minds blur in a pace not matched by any other creature imaginable. I break out of the trees into a clearing on the mountain and I can see it, running in front of us, and my wolf roars out in fury. Paul leaps forward and knocks the leech down, and I grab whatever I can latch onto. We're about to rip him apart when Sam intervenes.

 _"Stop,"_ Sam orders. _"Retain him. We need information."_ I have to fight my wolf, whose head is trying to bow to my Alpha. I might break him if I move. Paul's wolf completely lets go, though he's already ripped his legs off. I have the vampire's neck in my mouth, waiting for my pack to show up. The bloodsucker is screaming for Victoria, so she must be nearby.

The rest of the pack shows up about the same time, and Sam phases then puts his shorts on. He walks into the vision of the vampire, bending down to get eye to eye with him.

"Tell me your name and why you are here."

"I don't have to tell you shit!" he screeched.

"You're right, you don't," Sam answered him, then knelt down and reached into the bloodsucker's back pocket, and fished out his wallet. "Seems you're still new enough to carry a wallet. Your eyes tell me that you aren't mainstreaming. This license is current. What if I said that I will find your family and tell them that you aren't missing after all... Riley? I can tell them anything you like, if you cooperate." I can see the slight panic set in, Riley's eyes going wide. His mind is whirring, tossing around the possible solutions to this problem. His body relaxes in defeat.

"Ok, I'll tell you what I know. But in exchange, I need you to do something for me. Reach into my front right pocket." Sam does what he tells him, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I need you to send this to my family. Mail it so that it can't be traced. I was going to do it, but obviously I'm not going to get out of here alive," he sighs. "You'll have to google the address for Raymond and Veronica Biers in Santa Fe, New Mexico."

"Done. I swear it. Now, tell me what is going on. Why are you here? You're after Bella, aren't you?" Sam grills him.

"Victoria says that there is a coven here that is going to try to come kill us. She said that they are gone to get reinforcements, and that they left their pet here like the foolish idiots they are. She wants me to steal the pet so we can kill her," he grimaces, like telling us about this is painful.

"And what are you going to do when the other coven brings back reinforcements and they come after you? How do you plan on fighting them?" Sam asks. My wolf is getting uneasy. The smell alone makes me want to rip him apart, but my teeth already being in his neck is torture. I snort, showing my displeasure to my pack. The other wolves start closing in around us, growling with raised hackles. "Stand down!" Sam shouts, and there is a collective of whines that follow, all wolves bowing under the order.

"Fuck. Just send the fucking letter. What do you care? Like you need the other coven to be here? We know that you hate us," he spits and it lands dangerously close to Sam's feet. "Just send the letter. Kill me. Get it over with."

"I want to send this letter, but I can't if you don't answer my fucking question. ANSWER THE QUESTION, RILEY!" Sam screams, and all of the wolves cower. I would be doing the same if I wasn't already following his first order to hold the leech still. "How do you plan on fighting the Cullens?" he asks again, quietly this time.

"We're building a fucking army. We have a little less than 20, but we had more. They just keep killing each other. We can't keep the damn things alive. Victoria is planning to attack as soon as she gets the girl. Christ, can we just finish this? There's nothing else. I have nothing else," he sobs, but no tears fall from his ruby eyes.

"Hold, Jake," Sam tells me, as I start to snuffle and growl. "Riley, I'm sorry that you were turned. I know you had no choice. I will get this letter to your family. Raymond and Veronica Biers, in Santa Fe, New Mexico." He turns to me and nods. "Now, Jacob," Sam finalizes the kill with his order. I sink my teeth in further and rip my head to the side, tearing his head off and tossing it with his legs. I hear Sam take the zippo out of his pocket and strike it, and watch the vamp go up in violet flames.

After I get back to the Res I decide to go check on the Clearwater house. I knock on the door, pretty sure that Seth would be the only one here. No one answered so I tried the knob. We're family, so it's no biggie. I walk in to find that I was correct in my assumptions, with Seth sleeping on the couch, curled up with his dad's jacket. I sigh and go to reach for him.

"Seth," I say, shaking him softly. I don't want to scare a new wolf, it's too easy to accidentally phase. "Seth, wake up, man." He opens his eyes to look at me and waves me away. "Bro, listen... I know you are still going through it, but you need to get up and do things or you will wallow in this forever. I'm just trying to help you."

"Go away, Black. I just want to lay here. Just leave me alone. I'm not worth the trouble," he sobs the last part, and I know he's thinking of Harry. Charlie has tried to stick around as much as possible to help out, and Sam has been keeping him at his house a lot, too. Seth has just had the hardest things in his life happen at one time, and he hadn't even phased back to human in time to make the funeral. He's really beating himself up about it.

"Seth, that's enough. You know you are important to all of us. Of course you are worth the trouble. But if you don't stop being a brat, I'm going to drag you out of here and toss you in the ocean. I know you are sad. That's ok, that's normal. But you can't keep going like this. Your family needs you. We are having a small party at my place tonight. Bells wants to do a Secret Santa or Dirty Santa or something, so this is just a preliminary meeting to figure out what we are going to do and if we need to draw names. Show up. There will be food."

"Sure, sure. I'll be there," he sighed.

I leave so I can head home to Bella. I know the rest of the Clearwaters, Leah and Sue, will both be there helping her. Billy is probably home, too, but he just can't take care of her the way she needs to be, so I have Leah stationed there with her for a connection to the pack, and Sue goes to check on her twice a day to make sure she's doing ok. I pull up and notice Chief Swan's cruiser in the front, next to Sue's car. Charlie told me that Harry asked him to take care of her and his kids if anything ever happened to him, and he took it to heart. He is doing everything possible to help them through this.

Bella is laying on the couch when I walk in, her head in Charlie's lap. He's running his fingers through her hair, making shushing noises. From the smell, I'd say she just vomited. I walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead, then pick up the bucket we keep by the couch for such reasons. I take it back outside and clean it quickly, then take it back to its regular spot.

"Thanks, Jake," Charlie half smiles at me.

"No problem, I don't mind."

"You wanna trade spots with me? I need to go to the bathroom, and I'm sure Bella would love your company," Charlie says, easing out from under Bella's head. I sit down in his spot, pulling her head into my lap, dragging my fingers through her gorgeous chestnut mane.

"How are you feeling, babe? Did you take the meds I set out for you this morning?" I ask Bella quietly, knowing she wasn't asleep from the sound of her heartbeat.

"I feel like shit, Jake. Yes, I took the Zofran. It's just not enough, I guess. But thank you for thinking of me," she purrs out, running her hand up my leg. My body reacts, my dick getting hard thinking about what she can do with her hand that just grazed it. Then she starts gagging and retches into the bucket, and I lost the chub that was definitely happening. "God, I'm fucking disgusting! Damn it, when will I stop vomiting? Surely all of the food I ate is gone! You'll never think I'm sexy again. Ugh," she wipes her mouth with the wet wash cloth from the table that I just handed her.

"I am here for you, baby. Not because you're sexy, though you definitely are. Because I love you. And that will never go away. Sexy is fickle. Imprints are forever," I chuckle and wiggle my eyebrows up and down.

"Well that's a good thing. Seeing me puke doesn't add to my attractiveness."

"Alright guys. I'm heading to the station. Gotta work a double tonight. I'll have my cell on in case you need me. Sue took Billy for a walk over to Paul's to check on Leah. I hope they don't see something they can't unsee," he guffaws, walking out of the front door and shutting it behind him.

I wake up from my impromptu nap when someone knocks on the door. Emily walks in with Embry and Quil behind her, carrying in a bunch of groceries to the kitchen. I do my best not to wake up Bella and scoot out from under her whole upper body splayed across my lap. I run out to Em's truck, knowing for sure that there would be many more bags to carry in to feed everyone. I grab the last10 bags and a 12 pack of sodas to carry in, leaving some more drinks for my pack mates to carry in. Thank God for Emily. She makes for a great Alpha's wife.

I walk in and she is already getting the stove going, putting on water to boil. This is the best place for her to cook for everyone, though she usually does it at her house. Since my mom was the Alpha's wife, she had tons of huge pots and pans that were kept out in the garage until we all started phasing. She used to take care of the pack like Ems. I miss that woman so much.

"Whatcha making for dinner, Ems?" I ask innocently, reaching into a bag and pulling out a baby carrot to snack on.

"Vulture! Do you really want to know, or are you just here to steal food?" she playfully shoves me and tosses me an orange.

"Both," I grin and start peeling the orange.

"Spaghetti. It feeds a lot of people cheaply, and it's pretty simple. We'll have salad and garlic bread with it. I just bought some fruit for dessert since I won't have a lot of help tonight." Emily said the last part as a whisper, trying not to hurt Bella's feelings. She loves Bella, she just knows how Bella feels about not being able to contribute. "I have to take up pack dues next meeting, funds are getting low and I need money to buy more groceries to feed you growing pups!"

All adult pack members have to pay dues to the Alpha, and those who aren't adults whose parents know they are pack also pay. It's not a ton of money, but the Alpha needs it for things like food for the pack meetings, extra clothes for those boys whose parents are not in the know... It can add up really quickly. Emily takes care of all of that. She gets overwhelmed sometimes, but she does a great job.

Bella walks in to the kitchen and I move closer to her in case she needs support. She leans into me, gripping my bicep and squeezing. I flex for her a little, knowing that it will cause that little smile to appear on her lips. She thinks it's cute.

"Emily, do you need any help? I can do something," Bella offered.

"No, no, you sit down. I've got this. It's just spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread."

"I can totally do salad! I'll chop veggies. I'll sit at the table, Jake can bring me the cutting board and knife." Seeing the concerned looks on our faces, she continues, "I'm up for it, I swear. Let me help."

I nod and sit her at the table, bringing her the things she needs to chop and a giant bowl to put them in. She wants so badly to help that she is fighting her exhaustion to the point where I'm having to keep an eye on her. I don't want her to cut her finger off. She does the job well and has the salad done in no time. People start flooding into the house, filling every nook and cranny in our small living space. If it were not winter, we would just all go outside to eat. The wolves could handle the cold, but the rest of our family cannot, so we sit cramped, taking up every inch of floor.

"Before we start eating, we are going to have the meeting," Dad began. "Bella here will be going over a couple of things with you after official business and updates are done. Now, normally, pack meetings are not done with those who are not actually pack, but we are going to make an exception today," he added, winking at the crowd. "We are going to need dues at next week's meeting, guys. I know it's rough right now since it's Christmas, so if you need a little bit of time, I'm sure we can manage. Do your best to get the funds to Emily as soon as possible. Sam is going to take over for an update on our security."

"There was a trail found this morning by Jacob and Paul, on their morning patrol. Correct protocol was followed. Brady was in wolf form near the rest of the pack and notified us immediately. We all went to help and the patrol caught and held the leech until we all arrived shortly after. We got much-needed information from the vampire, who was named Riley Biers," Sam continued, nodding at Chief Swan, whose body slumped at the report. "We were able to get what we were after. We can't know for sure if he was lying or not, but I'm pretty confident he was telling the truth. There is a newborn army that has been made to try to eradicate the Cullens, but not before they sneak in to kidnap and kill Bella. I know that this is hard to hear. We are going to do everything we can to train to ready ourselves for this attack. We killed the leech, and burned the body. We will update as more news becomes available." Everyone is silent for a while, soaking in all of the intel that was just given. It's Bella's turn, but I can see the guilt on her face and she doesn't want to talk now. She thinks all of this is her fault, but we all know that it's the fucking bloodsuckers who moved here who caused all of this shit. Bella finally stands after I nudge her a few times, and starts speaking.

"Ok guys. I would like to take a vote on what we do for Christmas as far as gifts go. I am sure we would all love to buy each one of us a gift, but in reality that is expensive as hell and the money spent could go toward pack dues or buying new shorts," she chuckles, and we all follow suit. "We are going to have a vote between Dirty Santa and Secret Santa. Secret Santa is where we all write our names on a slip of paper and drop it in a bowl, then draw names. If you get someone in your family or yourself, I will let you put it back and draw again. You buy a gift specifically for the person you draw. It is a little more personal, and you can make it such an intimate thing- Oh stop laughing, boys!" Bella clutched her stomach with mirth and stumbled a little. I stood up and moved behind her to steady her, leaning her back against me. "As I was saying. Dirty Santa is a more fun one, though the gifts aren't as personal. You buy a good gift in our price range, and wrap it with no name. We draw numbers to see the order of present picking. After the first person, you can choose to take from the pile, or take from a person who already has an unwrapped gift. It's really fun, we wrap the gifts in a way where you can't tell what is inside. Ok, so we vote, now."

While Bella takes a vote, my mind wanders to what will happen in the next few weeks. The pack mind revealed some major life events happening. I look down at Bella counting hands and wonder if I should find a way to ask the Cullen clan for help. I'm not sure I'd ever forgive myself if I asked them to come back and Bella left me for Edward. On the other hand, I can't have her if she is dead.

"Dirty Santa it is!" Bella shouted over the crowd. "Let's eat!"

 **So, did you enjoy this chapter? We are more than halfway through now, I think! Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I would love more ;) You guys are the best! 3**


	13. Chapter 13: Bittersweet Symphony

Chapter 13: Bittersweet Symphony

 **A/N: This really is kind of a filler chapter, but I hope you like it anyway. It's a set up for later things.**

 **As always, Stephanie Meyer owns all Twilight universe and it's characters. No copyright infringement intended!**

Jacob's POV

I developed a plan this morning on my patrol. I know that Alice is watching, so all I have to do is call their attention our way. It is mighty humbling to ask a leech clan for help, but I will do whatever it takes to protect my mate. I'm writing a letter to tell them that we need their help. But first, I have to run it by Dad, Sam, and last but not least... Bella. I'm not sure how she, most of all, will feel about this. Twenty newborn vamps sound like a lot, especially because I know that their newborns work exactly the opposite of newly phased pups. They will be more strong than ever, and our pups are just learning to control themselves.

I go by the store and pick up a few things Bella needs. I don't mind because I'm no longer embarrassed about anything concerning her. And I dared the cashier to say something. While I was there, I picked up the things I need for Christmas. My Dirty Santa present is a blender, because chicks love that shit. Also, margarita parties. I would buy tequila to go with it but since there will be parents there, AKA Dad, Sue, and Charlie, that might not go down well. I chuckle a little to myself. I buy some gloves for my dad so that he can wheel through the snow better. He's started wanting to be more independent lately. I think Sue being around so much has something to do with it, though he may have to fight Chief Swan for her. Now I'm almost full out laughing and the cashier is looking at me funny. I stop and glare. There, that's what I thought.

I asked Sam to meet me at Paul Lahote's house, since I'm using Paul's tools to make Bella's gift. Paul is giving me some woodworking lessons and they are paying off. He needed his brakes changed so this is how he's paying me. I couldn't ask for money from pack, and this is more useful, besides. I have some money saved up from working on cars all of this summer, and some through the school year. It's kinda tapered off since I phased, honestly.

"Jake. Sorry, I need to make it quick. Em needs me at home, we're renovating our extra room... What's up?" Sam asked curiously. I tell him my plan, and though hesitant to invite bloodsuckers onto the Res, he agrees. "Run it by the Chief. And man... Tell Bella. Don't let this surprise her."

"Sure, sure," I say, thinking that my plan B to act like they just showed up probably wasn't going to happen with her. I smirk a little, tell Sam bye, and finish up what I have to do here. I need to get home to tell my family about my plan.

I walk up to the house with my arms full of bags, and notice a few boxes on the front porch. I go inside and put the stuff down, and walk back out immediately to pick up the packages. They are all addressed to Isabella Swan. I carry them back inside and sit them on the table in front of Bella, who is making out Christmas cards.

"Do you normally send Christmas cards? I've never gotten one from you," I teased her, then kissed her cheek.

"Um, actually, no. But this year is different. I really want everyone to know how much I love them." She looks up at me and frowns a little at me, seeing my furrowed brow.

"Bells, everything is going to be fine. But I love the Christmas card idea. We haven't sent any from this house since Mom died. I know she would love that there's another woman here continuing a tradition. She loved you, you know. She is the only one who knew that I had Imprinted that day. She was so excited that it was you." I leaned down, kissing her now smiling mouth. "What are the packages?"

"Christmas gifts. Since I don't get to get out much, I decided ordering online would be the best way to go."

"You know I would have picked up whatever you asked me to. Just ask, and you shall receive," I said, winking and laughing at my own joke.

"Some things I want to do for myself. Besides, I don't want you to get your own gift. That's silly. I appreciate the thought, though."

"Where is Dad? Is he with Sue again?"

"Yep," she affirmed, lips popping on the 'p'. "Charlie is really smitten with Sue. I feel that he must have liked her all of these years, but of course he hasn't said anything, Harry being one of his best friends. Now it looks like Billy has been in the same situation. There's going to be a battle for her love," she chuckles.

"Um, I need to talk to you about something before he gets back. I have an idea. I really wanted to run it by you to make sure that you would be ok with it, or ask if we DO do this, what rules you may have for interactions," I rush out, then take a deep breath. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Ok, so you know what's going on with Victoria and the supposed newborn army. I think that maybe we should ask Eddie boy and his family for help."

"Jake-"

"Just please listen before you decide. I want them to help us with this. I know that it will make you uncomfortable, and we can limit your time around each other as much as you want. Or you can be around him however much you feel you need to. I know you miss Alice." I watched her face soften, thinking of her friend. "It's taking a lot of humility to ask for their help. I honestly don't want them to come back, I don't want them to stay, and I definitely don't want Edward hanging around you, drooling. But if this is what it takes to keep you safe and alive, this is what I will do. Sam has agreed, now I just have to run it by Dad. Are you going to be ok with this?" I watch her closely, knowing that this is going to hurt her. She's chewing on her lower lip, drawing attention to her mouth. Jesus Christ I miss her.

"OK," she sighs. "I can't spend forever with you if we're dead, I guess. I can handle it if you really feel like this is what we need to survive. I know you wouldn't ask him for help if we really didn't need it." I lean down and kiss the top of her head.

"Thanks, Bells," I respond. "I know this will be hard for you. I promise that I will do whatever you want me to, to make it easier for you. I love you."

"I love you, too, Jake," Bella says, smiling up at me.

"What are you two love birds talking about in here?" Dad teased, rolling through the door, being pushed by Sue.

"Well, do you have time? I'd like to run it by you, as well, to see what you think." Telling him everything I could about how my plan, Dad listened quietly and waited for me to finish. The expression on his face never changed.

"We have never invited the Cold Ones onto our lands as guests, Jacob. I'm not sure we should be starting now."

"Dad, I know that it sounds a little crazy. I don't want them here, either. I don't want them on our lands, and I sure as hell don't want them near Bella, especially in her state. But hear me out. We may actually all die, if we don't do this. Think back to Taha Aki. The whole village was slaughtered just by two of them! I know they had less wolves, but we don't have the numbers. I think that this is the only good option we have."

"Son, you will be Chief one day. It probably will not be long before you have to make these decisions on your own, without consulting me. Is this what is going to be happening under your watch?"

"Yes, if it will save our people, this is exactly what I will do!" I shouted. I immediately felt horrible, having never actually yelled at him. I try my hardest to be good to him, he's been through too much for me to treat him like shit.

"Ok, then, Jacob. If you think that this will save all of us, we will have to amend the treaty. I trust you. You will be a great Chief one day. You'll need to fill in Charlie. Do not make it out like you are asking his opinion. Tell him what is going on so that he knows that there will be danger close by. There won't be much he can do about it, but he will be angry if we don't let him know," Dad finished the conversation, and rolled his wheelchair into his bedroom. Sue sat close by, on the couch, with her hand on her chest. She hadn't said a word during the entire exchange, and it was so unlike Sue that it made me worried.

"Sue? Mrs. Clearwater, are you ok?" I asked warily.

"Yes, Jacob," she said, seeming to come out of whatever spell she was under, shaking her head slightly. "I just... I just don't know how much more I can take. Harry dying, Leah and Seth phasing... Now all of this fucking leech shit," she spat. I am shocked by her use of profanity. I don't think I've ever heard her curse. "What if Leah or Seth get caught up in this and get killed? What will I even do with myself?" Beyond crying now, Sue stood up and grabbed her purse, walking to the door. "I'll see you guys later. I need a nap."

I feel bad, because what I said absolutely could have waited until she was gone. I thought that since she was so close to the situation, she would find out anyway. I didn't even consider her feelings. I'm a terrible person. Bella grabbed my hand and pulled me down to her, kissing my lips. She feels cold, her lips dry. I pick her up and take her to my room, where she has been sleeping with me every night. Charlie doesn't seem to mind, since I assured him that we aren't doing anything. He believes me, knows that I am careful with her.

Bella reaches up and pulls me down onto the bed with her, kissing me again on the lips, harder this time. Her hands start roaming over my skin, and as cold as she is now, they leave a trail of heat. Her hands go up around my neck, gripping my hair and pulling me even closer. I'm having to fight the wolf arduously for control. He wants me to take her, but I am so scared of hurting her.

"Jake. Fuck me. Jake, please," she whispers in my ear, and that is the moment that I lose myself to him. My body is still mine, but I can't really control myself anymore. I'm here, but I can't make myself stop what is going on.

I roll my body on top of hers, kissing her deeply, moving my tongue with hers. I pull her shirt off, thankful for the clasp-front bra she has on. I don't want to rip it off, but it would have happened no matter what I wanted. Taking her hardened nipple into my mouth, I fumble with the button on her pants, trying to push her hand out of the way of helping me. I pull her panties down with her pants, ridding Bella of all of her clothing now. Her scent hits my nostrils and the wolf takes a long slow breath in through my nose, relishing the smell of arousal. I take off my pants and kneel down between her legs, my head dipping to the lush spot between her thighs. My mouth whispers over her most sensitive area, causing her to shiver with anticipation.

"Come on, Jacob, don't tease me," Bella begs, and I relent, flicking my tongue up and down. Her moan of pleasure causes excitement in my wolf, and I start moving my mouth faster, sucking on her nub for a moment, then back to flicking. My fingers find their way inside of her, curling up, gliding in and out, eliciting more sounds from her that make my dick throb. I free myself of my clothing and promptly root myself into her sex, pounding and pounding, liberating the wolf even further.

"Oh fuck!" she exclaims as I pull out of her, flipping her over onto all fours. She's unsteady so I push a pillow under her belly and pull her legs out from under her, kneeling and sliding my knees under her thighs. My cock seems to find its own way back into her wet slit, and I groan, feeling completely consumed. As we find our rhythm, I again find her bundle of nerves, my hand shoved between her belly and the pillow. I rub it, around the outside at first and then making direct contact, moving in a circular motion that I know she enjoys. A smile sprouts on my face when I hear her breathing change, Bella panting and making little 'ah' sounds every time I push back into her.

"You like that, don't you?" I ask her aggressively, pounding her harder now. "Tell me you like it. Cum for me, Bella!"

"Yes, yes, I like it! Oh, Jaaaaake!" she shouts into her pillow, trying to stifle the noise so she can't be heard through the house. She tightens around me and we both come undone, our bodies jerking with small quakes. I lean over onto Bella slightly, kissing her upper back, careful not to put much weight on her. I get off of her, wolf sated, and feel horrible straightaway.

"Bells, I'm sorry. Are you ok? I kind of lost myself there for a minute..."

"You're fucking apologizing?! Are you kidding? You treat me like I'll break for weeks, and when you finally do what I want you to, you say you're sorry. That's just great, Jake. Fucking awesome," Bella spat at me angrily, then got up and dressed quickly. She ran out of my bedroom and I could hear retching from the bathroom. I can't let myself go again. I want to go comfort her, but she hates when I see her vomit.

I sit on my bed and hold my head in my hands, waiting for her to come back, but I hear the front door open and she leaves. I know she won't go off of the reservation, but I also know she needs space, so I just let her go and pray that she is well enough to make it to Leah's. I've got to write a letter, anyway.

Bella's POV

Jake didn't follow me when I left his house. I fully expected him to run after me, but I'm glad he didn't. I really am not up for a fight. I need to go to Leah's and vent. Thank God that everyone on the Res lives close to each other, it only takes 2 minutes to get here. I pull up outside the Clearwater house and don't see Sue's vehicle. She said she was going for a nap, but I guess she changed her mind. I'm grateful to see Leah's little S-10 sitting in it's usual spot. I knock quickly then open the door without waiting. Normally not something that I would do, but I know it should be fine, and it's too cold to wait.

Leah and Paul jump up from the couch, Leah clutching her shirt to her chest. Oops. Maybe I should have been more patient. Leah laughs without hesitation, but Paul looks super annoyed. I don't bother turning my head for her to put her shirt on, and Paul is always shirtless.

"Fuck, guys, I'm sorry. It's really cold out there and I didn't think you would mind," I blurted, looking at Leah.

"No, it's not really a problem, girl! Don't worry. We should have locked the door, but we got a little caught up, you know? I'm just glad you aren't Seth or Mom!" she guffawed, sinking back onto the couch, looking relieved.

"I guess I'll go. You ladies have some things to talk about, I'd wager," Paul smiled, winking at Leah, then kissed her on the lips. He grabbed his baseball cap and put it on backwards, heading toward me and the door. "See you later, Bella," he tells me, patting my back. When he left, I walked over and sat next to Leah, then let my head thump against the back of the couch.

"What. The. Fuck. Life is killing me right now, Lee."

"What's wrong, B? I know that radiation is tough on you, girl. How are you feeling this morning? I can get you a snack if you need to settle your tummy."

"Nah, it's not that. It's the fact that every damn one is treating me differently. I realize that I have a fucking brain tumor. I know that the radiation makes me sick. But I'm still me. I'm still a person. I'm being treated like a walking bomb. Everybody is so careful. There's no more sex, we go nowhere. We do nothing. I'm dead tired of it," I told Leah. "I can hear the whispers when I walk out of the room. I know I look like shit."

"Bella, everyone is just worried about you. Jake isn't withholding sex to be mean, it's because he's scared to hurt you. But I guess that's the point, isn't it? That's what you are frustrated about." Her hand moves up, finger tapping her lower lip, when I notice the ring.

"LEEEEEE! When were you going to tell me that Paul proposed?! Holy shit, Leah, you are going to get married! How did it happen? When? I know I've been out of it, but I think Jacob would have told me..." I can see the excitement on her face reflect mine.

"Well, the pack knows. I knew before he did it that he was thinking about it, but Jake had put us on separate shifts so I wouldn't know what the ring looked like or when it was going to happen. Some things in the pack mind, we overlook because it's too personal and you really don't want to take the thoughts from whoever they belong to. This isn't the only surprise, but I suppose you will know about the other thing soon enough. Not my secret to tell, even if we ARE best friends," Leah relayed. I look at her suspiciously, smiling a little at the hope of something that might give me a little bit of happiness.

"Yeah, there are things I want to tell you, too."

"Dude, I can smell you from here. Seems like Jake must have re-popped that cherry," she winks, laughing. "About time? I know that had to be good, it has been a while."

"Well, yes, we did have sex... Then he apologized like he had done something wrong. UGH I don't want to talk about that, he's made me so angry." Leah looked at me with a slight frown, wanting to ask more but respecting my request. "But what you DO need to know is that The Pack is asking the Cullens to come help with all of the newborns that are going to be attacking. They are going to have to amend the treaty. I really don't want to have to deal with Edward and all of his worried whimpering for me. I am so over it." Leah was silent for a while, staring blankly into space.

"I'm having a hard time absorbing that. A hundred years... And we will invite them in. I just don't know what to think about that," Leah trails off.

"Yeah no one is happy about this shit," I agreed.

 **So tell me what you think! Is it a good idea to invite the Cullens back? How do you think that Edward-Bella-Jacob will interact? Thank you guys for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews! I'm posting on Tuesdays and Fridays, I hope that is ok. Starting a Harry Potter (Draco/Hermione) fan fiction soon, so I will be letting you know where to read that when the time comes 3**


	14. Chapter 14: Gravity

Chapter 14: Gravity

 **A/N: Ok guys! I hope you like this chapter!**

Jacob's POV

 _Cullen Clan,_

 _We of the Quileute Tribe Wolf Pack would like to schedule a meeting._

 _The day after Christmas at 3 pm, we will send a representative_

 _to your house, to discuss a better time for you all to meet us again._

 _There will be others waiting in the woods._

 _We ask this of you in peace, there are no bad intentions here._

 _We thank you for your participation in the meeting._

I fold up the letter and put it in an envelope, sticking it in the mailbox at the Cullen house. I know that the mail carrier isn't dropping anything by here anymore due to the giant spider and cobweb inside, so I feel comfortable leaving it. I phase, running back home to wait. There are 2 days until Christmas, and we are having our Dirty Santa pack party tonight. Bella seems to be feeling pretty good today, so I look forward to her hanging out with us. She's even talking about maybe having a drink or two.

I get home from running and take a shower so that I don't smell like a barn animal, then head over to Sam and Emily's so that we can help them get ready for the party. When Leah comes in, I can feel the difference between her and Emily's relationship. Since Paul imprinted on Leah, all of the tension is gone. I'm so glad to see them laughing and joking like old times, like nothing happened.

Bella is responsible for chopping vegetables again, sitting at the table and slicing up the peppers and onions for the chicken fajitas everyone will be eating. Emily uses fry bread instead of tortillas, and they are a big pack favorite. People start coming in slowly, the pack, our family, working together to get dinner and dessert done for our large crowd. I'm actually excited, looking around and seeing the tree where people are putting their Dirty Santa presents. Some of the packages are really oddly shaped, so no one will guess what is inside. Some look a little more obvious, probably having been wrapped by one of the younger guys.

We are taking a chance for an hour, having no patrols. Bella begged that everyone could be here, and Sam has gotten so soft for her lately with her being sick. I almost told him that he was being too nice, but I looked at her face and knew that I would give in, too. Bella notices that everyone has arrived and starts the game so that the patrol can go back to work.

"OK YOU GUYS!" she shouts as loudly as she can. Everyone promptly quiets and looks at her. She was made to be an Alpha's wife, commanding of attention and respect. My gut fills with butterflies, and I shove it down so that I can listen. "It's time to start Dirty Santa! First you will all take a slip of paper from this hat. I've written numbers on them, and they will tell us what order we choose our gifts in. House rule is that you may NOT choose the gift that you brought, and I'm also adding the rule that any gift chosen 3 times is out of rotation. Jake, pass the hat, please."

Everyone received their slip of paper, besides Bella. She creates a new slip for her, saying she forgot to count herself, writing the last number and putting it in her lap. Brady got first draw. He reaches in and grabs a small envelope, pulling out a $25 gift card to Walmart. On the back it says "For shredded clothes" and we all get a good chuckle out of it. Play continues going through the numbers, Dad, Jared, Charlie, and Paul all picking their gifts. Paul opens the gift he chose, revealing the blender that I bought. He laughs and yells "Margaritas!", and I laugh with him, so happy that someone appreciates it. I watch Bella as the scene unfolds, looking content, resting against Charlie's side. Her dad has really stepped up the affection since her diagnosis. I smile at him and he nods his head at me, smiling back and looking down at Bella.

"My turn!" I shout as it's time for number 10. I've been eyeballing this package, it's smallish and oddly shaped. I pick it up, turning it over and over in my hands. It feels like whatever it is has been reinforced with cardboard. I rip the paper off and see that whatever it is has been wrapped in duct tape. "Shit, guys! Can I have a knife?"

"New rule! Only hands!" Bella makes up off the top of her head, clutching her sides and laughing hysterically. I start pulling the tape off, playing along for her sake, laughing with her. After I pull off the duct tape, there is a layer of strapping tape, causing another round of hilarity. After slaving away at the thing for 5 minutes, the love of my life finally relents and brings me scissors. I cut it open, and reveal a rubber chicken.

"This is the best game, ever!" laughs Seth, who is high-fiving Collin. "Never thought we'd get Jake with it! It just gets better and better!"

"Hahaha very funny!" I mock him, laughing as well. I'd take a rubber chicken any day to have us all here, happy like this.

There are a few steals, finally, with Leah taking the blender from Paul. He makes the argument that they will be living together as soon as they get married so they will share the blender anyway. She makes the case that until then, she will have margaritas and he won't. Everyone is laughing in good nature. I watch as Bella is the last to go, seeing her eyes scanning the room for the thing she wants. Her eyes land on me, and she gets up to steal the rubber chicken from my lap.

"Bells, really? It's a rubber chicken!"

"I want it. It's a good memory, and it will make me laugh. I need it right now. Now, give it here!" she laughs again, bringing the last gift under the tree with her and sits on my lap. She helps me open it, since I have one arm around her waist. From the wrapping paper, I unearth a photo in a really nice frame, showing Bella and I at the beach on the day I imprinted on her. My heart stutters in my chest, and I look up to this beautiful woman sitting in my lap with tears in my eyes, suddenly so afraid of losing her.

"You forgot to count yourself, huh?" I ask her with a thick voice.

"It was the only way I knew I could steal whatever you had gotten before. Everyone knew to avoid this one. I wanted it to be a surprise. I know it kind of defeats the purpose of Dirty Santa, I cheated a little," she sighs.

"I love it, Bells. Thank you so much," I lean up a little, kissing her, losing the crowd of people staring at us. Charlie clears his throat after a few seconds, and I pull back, slightly mollified for forgetting where I was.

"Ok you guys, dinner time! Patrol first!" Bella announces, standing up and steadying herself on my shoulder. The pups run into the kitchen where Em is waiting to regulate food portions. Bella sits back down in my lap, planting a chaste kiss on my cheek. The patrol heads back out after eating quickly, leaving the rest of us to enjoy the next few hours, feeling safe.

Bella's POV

We had a great night. I tried so hard to focus on everything going on, wanting to keep these memories in my mind for the rest of my life. I love these people. This is my family, where I belong. I know that this was my destiny, my responsibility, my reason for life. I can feel it inside me, the pull to mother these people.

"Jake, I have a question," I ask him while we are laying down for bed. Billy has went to sleep already, leaving the party with Charlie and Sue for the young ones to be able to get a little more rowdy. "Do you feel a pull? I mean... How do I say this? I feel like the pack is almost like my children. These people are my responsibility. Do you feel that way? I am just thinking that if I feel that way, you must, too..."

"Yes, I do feel it. I fight my wolf every day. He wants to claim his birthright, be Alpha. I am having a harder and harder time pushing it away. I don't want to take that from Sam. He knows what he is doing, more than I do. But I am feeling the time is going to come when I will have to take it from him. I know he will give it over willingly... We've known since we were kids that I would be Alpha one day, but when the time came, I just didn't want it. I was too mad that it was actually happening," he trailed off, looking sad.

I look over to the photo I gave him, that he put on his nightstand beside our bed. I remember that day, Jake's big cast covered in a plastic bag so that he wouldn't get sand in it. Finding a stick to put in there to scratch his itch. Bringing bucket after bucket of sand to him, so he didn't have to use his crutches on the beach. Watching clouds in the sky, and seeing an eternity of friendship in his eyes. I loved him even then, though I didn't know what that would eventually mean. I found the picture in one of Sarah's albums, and asked Billy if I could make a copy. He told me to just take it, that it will mean more this way. He was right.

I lay down in my sports bra and boy short panties, curling into Jacob's naked torso, and run my hand up and down his muscular abs. I look up at his face, and lean in to give him a kiss. He puts his hand through my hair, clutching the back of my head to bring me closer to him. I pull myself farther up his body, making us more comfortable, and he moves his hand down toward my back to help tow me. I can see his face scrunch up in confusion as he brings his hand away from me and in his line of vision. He tried to ball his fist up before I saw it: a clutch full of my hair. I grab at the hair angrily, pulling into my own hand and throwing it.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. They told me this would happen. I'm going to look like a dog with mange," I whine. Then I can't stop it. I try to stop the flood of tears that start to fall down my face, but it's impossible. Jake pulls me into him, rubbing my back comfortingly. I fall asleep in his arms, wanting to ask him to run his fingers through my hair, but scared to lose more.

Bella's POV

Christmas morning I wake up, excited to see my family open their gifts. We are doing our festivities with the Clearwaters, since our families have been so close lately. Sue is making most of the food, but I am bringing my famous mac and cheese, deviled eggs, and Nutella cheesecake. I am just hoping I'll be able to keep my food down today. Jake packs up all of the gifts and food, and I push Billy out to my truck, since we all fit better in it than the Rabbit. It's a short ride to their house, and I'm happy to see that Charlie hasn't been called in to work today, his cruiser sitting in the drive.

Jake helps Billy back into his wheelchair and I push him to the door, which Charlie opens. Billy rolls his eyes and shakes his hand, their hilarious battle for Sue's attention continuing. Jake comes up behind me, and I push Billy through the door and into the living room. Sue is in the kitchen with Leah, while Paul, Seth, and Charlie are watching A Miracle on 34th Street in the living room, a Swan tradition. It's at the beginning still, but I'm a little sad that he didn't wait for me, and I say so.

"Dad. You started the movie without me?" I know I'm pouting, and I hate it. Everything is upsetting me lately.

"Bells, I'm sorry. Honestly, I thought you might want to start a tradition with Jake. I am trying to give you the freedom to do things with your new family. Jacob is going to want to do things with you, and I don't want to hinder that the way that my mother did with Renee and me. Speaking of... Have you heard from your mother lately?"

"I talked to her this morning... But I still haven't told her, Dad. I just can't bring myself to tell her. You know how much she worries! And she has her new life in Jacksonville... I just don't want to interrupt her day to day. It's Christmas, and you know how irresponsible she is. She's already low on funds and she would spend all of her money to come up here to stay with me. Billy would have another person on his couch!" I groan at the thought. Charlie chuckles and nods his head at me.

"You have a week to tell her, Bella. If you don't, I'll be taking this into my own hands. Don't make me do it, you know I will."

"Ok, Dad. I'll tell her tomorrow. I don't want to ruin her Christmas. I PROMISE, Dad," I emphasize when he gives me a look that says, 'yeah, right'.

"I'll be back in a while, guys. I have to go run an errand," Paul says. We sit and finish the rest of the movie in silence, while Sue and Leah prep and cook the rest of our feast. The movie ends and Charlie calls to them to let them know.

Paul comes back in the front door not long after, looking a little distracted. The ladies come into the living room then, and we all sit down so that Jake and Seth can pass out gifts. I actually got more than I thought I would, with 4 gifts sitting in front of me: one from Charlie, one from Sue and Seth, another from Leah and Paul, and the last from Jake and Billy. Once everyone has their gifts, we start tearing them open. I got a really nice crochet hat and scarf from Leah and Paul. It's because I'm always cold, I know, but I'm more thankful for the fact that I will have something to cover my soon bald head. Sue and Seth got me a gift certificate for a pedicure at the local salon, and Jake and Billy gave me a bottle of my favorite perfume. I was running low, and I am just in awe that Jake anticipates so many of my needs.

"Dad, I love the thought of your gift. But Jake has only a twin sized bed," I say, smiling and teasing, knowing that his memory for things like this isn't that great. The big bed in a bag has a Q printed in the top corner. "I don't want to hurt your feelings but I'll need to exchange the bedding set. I'm sorry," I apologize, knowing that there really isn't anything to forgive. It's just in my nature to apologize for everything.

"No, they'll fit. Jake and I both got you gifts that you'll need to go home for. We couldn't really carry them here," he said lightheartedly, his smile crinkling the corner of his eyes. I haven't seen him this happy in so long.

"Go ahead and go, guys! We'll keep cooking, just get back soon so you can help me make the tea, Bella!" Sue shoos, looking as excited as Jake and Charlie do.

Jake picks me up in his arms and Charlie tilts his head to the side a little, and smiles. I lean into him, breathing in the woodsy smell he always seems to have. We get in the truck and drive home, where I see my first gift sitting on the front porch: A pair of rocking chairs. They are so beautiful that they take my breath away, Jacob having carved wolves into one of them, and wildflowers into the other. I wrap my arms around his neck, and pull his lips down to mine. I am so overwhelmed with the love I have for this gorgeous man that I can't stand it.

"Babe, you made these? When did you have the time to do this?" I ask as he sets me on my feet on the porch. I walk behind them, running my hands over the backs and kneel down beside them, looking at the intricate woodwork.

"Bella, these chairs are my promise to you. I know we are too young to get married, seeing as we need to be able to pay bills and for a wedding, and neither of us have a job. But this... This is my promise that I will always be here. That we will sit in these chairs for the rest of our lives. We'll take them with us when we move to our own home. We'll watch our kids and grandkids play while we rock on our porch, holding hands, forever," Jacob whispers the last part, and I feel my grasp on control completely loosen.

"Thank you so much, Jacob. I can't tell you how much this means to me," I start crying, and stumble over to him, wrapping myself around his waist like my life depends on it. He picks me up and holds me there for a minute, gently swaying back and forth.

"Bells, would you like to see my gift to you?" Charlie asks me, still clearly uncomfortable with Jake and I showing affection like this.

"Of course, Dad!" I enthuse, drying my eyes, and start walking in behind him. I immediately spot the bucket of debris sitting in the living room, and I'm confused at first. When Charlie starts to open our bedroom door, I start to understand. I push past him gently and see that the wall between our room and Rachel's old room has been torn down.

"We were just here a couple of hours ago! How did you get this done?!" I inquire, shocked.

"I cleared it with Billy, and I paid Paul to do it today. He and a couple of the pups came and tore it down and cleaned it up really quick. I know the walls and carpet are different colors, but we can fix that. I needed to be able to fit your new bed in here. Technically this counts as my gift to you, too, Jake," he grinned. He knows that he did well with this gift.

"Dad, thank you so much. I love you!" I squeal, hugging him fiercely.

"Yes, thanks, Chief Swan. We appreciate it," Jake added.

"No problem. I... Love you, too. Both of you."

Jacob's POV

I feel so full I can barely move. I really wanted to get home to spend some time on the front porch with Bella in our rocking chairs. She seemed to love my gifts, and when she started crying, I almost was overcome myself. But when we got home, she went to our room and laid in our new bed. I made her a new playlist for her phone, and I think we can get a good night out of it. She loves music so much, and it's really been the only outlet that she has had recently. Sometimes I come home to her screaming Alanis Morrisette lyrics at the top of her lungs. Some days she whispers Fleetwood Mac. I can tell when it's been a bad day by the type of music she is playing. Tonight is a bad one. I know she is thinking about tomorrow.

"Scoot over, babe," I tell her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling? You didn't eat much at dinner. Do you need me to get you something?"

"No, I'm good," Bella answers, moving over like I asked. "I'm just worried about how all of this is going to go, you know?"

"That's what I thought was bothering you. Listen, you won't ever have to see him if you don't want. I will make sure that he stays far away, if that is what you need. I really do need to know what you want me to do, though. The Cullens became a big part of your life when you moved here. If you want to see them, I have no problems with it."

"Yeah, I guess I would like to see Alice at least. I wouldn't mind seeing Edward. Not for any reason but for us to officially get some closure. I just really need to know that when he comes back, he won't try to do anything to get back together with me," Bella sighed. I know she was worried about how I would feel about this.

"Anything you want, Bells. But you know, of course, that one of us will need to be with you," I said, smiling.

"Can I take Leah?" she asked, looking down.

Ouch. That stung a little.

 **Thank you for reading! It looks like I'm probably going to start posting only once a week, guys. Please don't kill me! I'm starting another fan fiction, this one is a Draco/Hermione (Harry Potter), and I need a little time to work on it, too. Thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! You guys rock!**


	15. Chapter 15: Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

Chapter 15: Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

 **A/N: Hey y'all! Time for the return of the Cullens. I debated on whether or not to bring Edward back, but I think it was definitely needed. I hope you guys like this chapter!**

 **Stephanie Meyer is the goddess of the Twilight Universe. I own nothing but the story line.**

Bella's POV

Today is the day. I know that I won't be seeing them today, but I will find out when I will. Or if they will be cooperating at all. I hope they do. I'm worried about the entire pack, the pups especially... And my Jacob. The world could crumble to ash, and as long as Jacob was still with me, I would be ok.

Jacob has insisted that he be the representative that goes to the Cullen house to speak with them. I'm doing busy work right now, listening to old Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. Once the house is reasonably clean, I really will have no choice. I have to call Renee and tell her the news. I know that she is going to make a huge deal and there is just so much going on in my life right now... I can't take it. But Charlie is really forcing me to do it.

I think that I should go outside and sit in my new rocking chair, thinking it might ease my mind a little, but I really don't want to use it without Jacob for the first time. I walk into my bedroom and take out my cellphone. I don't bother turning off my music, I just open my call list and take a giant breath before calling Renee.

"Bella! Hi baby! How are you doing? I feel like we haven't actually spoken in so long! You called yesterday, said 'Merry Christmas and I love you', and practically hung up immediately. I'm not mad, I know you are busy." Renee chuckles, before I can even answer back.

"I'm good, Mom. How are you? Did you have a good Christmas?" I ask, trying to break the ice before I tell her what I'm really calling about.

"Christmas was great. Phil bought me a golf cart. It's a thing, here in Florida!" she gushed, then lost herself in telling me about how it works, the gas it takes, and why it's better than a car. I find myself thinking of how the rest of this conversation is going to go, saying uh huhs and yeahs like I'm listening. "I was thinking of coming to see you, soon! How was your Christmas? What did you get?" That is just like my mom. Wanting to know what I got, instead of who I spent it with or what I gave.

"Well... Jacob made me rocking chairs. Well, one for him and one for me... and Dad got me a new, bigger bed, and some bedding. I feel like maybe I haven't actually mentioned that I moved in with Jacob, Mom." I can hear the intake of breath, she's about to let me have it. I interrupt her because I know what she's going to say. "Listen. I know the mistakes that you think you made by marrying so young. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. This is not a mistake. Besides, I have much bigger things to worry about right now than that."

"What could possibly be bigger than living with someone already, at eighteen? Jake is 16! How are you going to play this off, Bella?"

"Because... Because I have a brain tumor, Mom," I whisper, and the line goes quiet.

"This is not funny, Isabella Marie Swan. How can you do this? You're going to try to make me feel bad for not liking the fact that you moved in with a boy, by saying you have a brain tumor?! Seriously, Bella!"

"No, Mom. I have a brain tumor. I've been receiving radiation therapy for about two weeks now. They say it's operable... But they have to shrink it first so I don't go blind... I'm going to be fine, really. It's just 6 weeks of radiation and a brain surgery with a 2 month recovery. No big deal," I try to force a laugh, but she's not buying it, I know. I sound upset. I can't help it.

"Baby? Why didn't you tell me before? Hell, why hasn't CHARLIE called me? I leave my only child in his care, and I swear he is just as incompetent now as he was when I left... Just letting you run off and move in with someone, not calling to tell me you are seriously ill... Selfish as the day I left!" she yells.

"So this is about you, now, is it? It's always you, Mom! You call Dad selfish, but I don't have to take care of HIM! I raised YOU, Renee! I hope you are happy! Don't bother coming to see me. There's no point if you are just going to be thinking of how MY brain tumor affects YOU the whole time. I love you. Bye," I spit, pressing the 'end' button on my phone and throwing it down on the bed. CCR is here to save me: 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?' blaring as soon as the call dropped. I cry, laying on my bed, slamming my eyes shut to the blinding light streaming through the window.

"Babe, are you ok?" Jacob asks, walking into the room. I didn't even hear the front door open. I'm a fucking mess. He sounds so worried.

"Oh, yeah. I'm good," I assure him, sniffling, wiping my tears with the backs of my hands. "I'm sorry."

"Bella, why are you apologizing? Stop that," he tells me, his large lips widening into a sad smile. "I take it the call to Renee didn't go well?" Jake starts rubbing my arm, and lays down beside me, picking my leg up and throwing it over his upper thigh. He slides his arm under my head, and I slowly start to feel better.

"It was terrible. There was yelling. She got mad at me for moving in here. Then she made my brain tumor about her, saying that Charlie should have called her and how he's always so selfish. I told her not to come visit. I hung up on her, Jake." His warmth is soothing me. I start to feel so tired from all of the crying.

"It's ok, honey. She'll come around to us. She doesn't know the truth, like Charlie does. We'll never be able to explain it to her. Once she has her first grandbaby, her attitude will change." His face is serious, but I can hear the hope in his voice. This is the second time he's mentioned having kids, and I'm still not sure that I ever wanted any. But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would do anything for him.

Jacob's POV

When Bella falls asleep, I know she's going to be a while. I get up, and do the dishes she didn't get to. She can't stand for long enough at one time without getting dizzy. I don't mind at all, and I need something to do until I need to go for the pack meeting. I'm going to be the one talking to the Cullens today, so I'm trying to calm myself. Just the thought of seeing Edward again after he abandoned Bella the way he did is making my blood boil.

When I get done, I head to Sam's house, making sure to grab my phasing shorts and ankle strap. Not everyone on the Res knows about the wolf pack, so it's not like I can just phase and run through the middle of town, as much as I'd like to. I need the run, though, so I use my Jacob body. I'm cruising along on the side of the road when I hear a honk. I look over and see Jessica in her car. Yikes. Not sure what to do here, I slow down and wave her over to the closest road.

"Jacob... Looking good, my friend," she clicks her tongue in approval. I'm a bit annoyed, but I try to be cordial.

"Thank you, Jessica. What can I do for you?"

"That's awfully formal, Jake. I think we're a little past that, don't you?"

"No, I really don't." I answer her, and then start to turn away from her, giving up.

"Jake! Wait. I was actually coming to check on Bella. Chief Swan told Dad that Bella is sick. What's going on? I went by their house and it looks like they haven't been there in a little while. I figured if I couldn't find her here, that you would at least know where she is."

"She's living with me now. We're together. And since she's sick, Charlie is staying nearby to help take care of her when I can't be there." We sit there in silence for a few seconds, Jessica looking upset, though I am not sure which part is upsetting her more.

"She's... living with you. Oh, wow. Um, ok, not what I expected, but that's cool." She clears her throat, and looks back up at me. "What is wrong with her? Can you tell me?"

"I'm sure you remember where I live. Go ask her yourself. I have an errand to run. Sorry, Jessica. I gotta go."

I start running back down the road, listening to the waves crash on the beach, letting them relax me. The last thing I need is Jessica drama. I can't believe I let myself screw her, even if I really did need to get my aggression out. I would have loved for it to have been Bella, but she just wasn't there yet, and that is not what she needed from me.

I arrive at Sam and Emily's house and see that most of the other pack members are already here. I walk in without knocking, their front door standing open like usual. Emily is walking around in a big coat. The pack doesn't notice the cold, but poor Emily lives in it nearly constantly.

"Ok everyone, quieten down!" Sam yells as Brady, the last to arrive, runs through the door. "We need to collect dues, first. Em, can you get the can?" The coffee can that they use to put funds in starts being passed around the room. "Ok boys. And Leah. Sorry. So Jake here is going to be the guy who is talking to the leeches. We will be in wolf form, waiting in the woodline just in case something goes down. I don't expect there to be a problem, do you, Black?"

"No, Sam, I don't see there being any problems. As much as I can't stand them, they are pretty civil to me. I should be able to control myself enough to talk to them to see if another time would be better or if now would be an ok time to have the meeting to talk about helping us. I think we should leave Brady and Colin to patrol, Jared can act as messenger, and Leah will need to stay with Bella," I say, and Leah sighs heavily and rolls her eyes. "Problem?"

"I love Bella and all, she IS my best friend, but I'm so tired of being left out of the action, man. I need something to sink my teeth into," she groans.

"Sorry, Lee. Bella doesn't like anyone else as much as she likes you. Today has already been hard for her, and it's just going to get worse, I'd wager. She's sleeping right now, but someone will need to be there when she wakes up. I mean, you can refuse if you want."

"Ha. Yes, sure I can," she mumbles, and there are a few snickers in the group. There's no way she can refuse, everyone knows it.

"Besides, no one will be putting their teeth into anyone tonight. This is just a meeting to start a discussion. We need to get going. Everyone come out and phase, we'll run through the woods to get there."

"Le Le, you can take the car if you want. I'll pick it up when we are done," Sam told her. Emily quirked her mouth to the side at the use of his old nickname for Leah, but didn't say anything. She took the keys out of her coat pocket and tossed them to her. Leah deftly caught them and ran out the door. "Em, see if Sue can take you to the store while we're gone? Sandwiches even will be fine. Something quick and easy, if you're ok with it." Emily nods and pulls out her phone, and we all walk out of the door, stripping down and rolling up shorts to strap on our ankles.

When we reach the Cullen house, I phase back, pulling my shorts back on and walking up to knock on the door. The smell around this place is so strong that I'm repelled by it. Before I get to the door, Carlisle opens it.

"Jacob Black. It's good to see you. What would you like to talk about?" he asks me.

"Well, I think you know. But since this is me asking for a favor, I guess I'd better play along." Carlisle smirks a little and shrugs his shoulders. "I can smell that you aren't the only one here. All of the rest of your clan is in the house?"

"Yes, we are all present and accounted for."

"Do you think it would be ok if we just went ahead and had the meeting now, then? I can call my pack mates in. We all need to be in the same spot for the meeting."

"Ok, yes, I think that would be a good idea," Carlisle agrees. I whistle, and a few seconds later, my brothers walk out of the forest, moving slowly. This is the first time around any of the Cullens for most of them. Some have seen Carlisle at the hospital, but for the most part, they have only seen Sue for their medical needs. Carlisle turns and walks inside, bringing his family out with him. This is better. No one will feel trapped. Edward is staring at me, and then I feel him in my head.

"Hey, stop that shit. We're not here for you to be digging around in brains, Edward." I know I sound aggravated, but that's because I am. I don't need his shit right now.

"Sorry, it's habit. I would really like to sit down and talk with you after this, if you don't mind, Jacob," he remarks. He's so damn nice that I hate him for making me think it will be ok. I think that maybe if I talk to him, though, he may not need talk to Bella for long.

"Sure, man. Let's just get this done first." I turn to Carlisle then, and look back at Sam to see what he says. He nods, giving the go ahead. "We have come to ask a favor. Alice, have you been watching this area? I know you've been watching Bella. If you hadn't, you would have never known about her brain tumor."

"Yes, I know what's going on. I've told the others, but we all need to talk about it so that we understand the risks involved with what you want," Alice answers.

"I agree. So basically we caught this new vampire named Riley Biers, who told us that he and Victoria are building a new vampire army..." I continue telling them what is going on, but none of them look surprised. I know they already know what is going on, but they are just staring at me and it's creepy. No one is moving, the only breathing I hear is behind me. "So basically what we're asking, is if you guys could help us when they come."

"We will, but there are a few requests that are being made by my family," Carlisle relays to me, and my eyes travel over to Edward quickly, wondering if any of them are Bella related. "We will need permission to come onto the Reservation, since that is where the actual battle will take place. We need it in writing, so the Treaty will have to be amended, I'm sorry. We need to train you all as well, to learn to fight the newborns. They fight differently than seasoned vampires do, with less tact. But they are so strong. We will need to have weekly sessions. The last thing... Alice and Edward have asked if they can visit with Bella. We all would like to see her... But since they were closest to her, we figure that we wouldn't push our luck if you let them." I fucking knew it. Edward clasps his hands together and looks down at his feet, obviously listening in on my thoughts again.

"We have already talked and we will agree to amending the Treaty. Guys, let's vote on the training sessions. All for?" Sam asks, and most of us raise our hands, even me. I'll never turn down training to kill bloodsuckers. "All opposed?" Only Paul raises his hand. "Paul? Some reason you don't want to join us?"

"Well, I just can't stand the smell, honestly. Besides, we already know how to kill them. Why do we need to be taught?" Paul asks, and Sam looks at him, hard. Paul looks away and murmurs, "Fine." I chuckle a little, knowing that the vote was just to make them feel involved. Whatever Sam wants to do is what we will do, end of story.

"As for Bella, I think she can answer for herself, whether or not she would like to visit with any of you. Jacob may speak for her right now, and if he agrees it's ok with him, it will be up to her," Sam, finished with their list, sat down.

"Wait, why is Jacob speaking for her?" Edward asks, then his eyes go wide. He sees the Imprint. I have to stop myself from growling at him, even here in human form.

"Jacob?" Carlisle asks, softly.

"I've spoken with Bella about this, and she has said she would love to see Alice. We might need to wait a little while about the rest of you. She can only take so much stress right now, and this is all a bit too much," I answer him, looking at Edward. Bella's ex-boyfriend looks up at me and shrugs slightly, agreeing to what I've said.

"Ok, we'll do training on Friday nights so that the younger wolves can stay up later. Is that good with you guys? Or do you prefer another day?" Jasper adds.

"Sounds good to me," Sam finalizes the plan. "Alright, we'll get out of your hair. Come onto the Res tomorrow at 9, we'll meet at the Chief's house to amend the Treaty."

Everyone turns to walk away but then I remember that Edward wanted to talk to me. I turn back, noticing immediately that Edward is the only one left on the porch. I walk up and sit down on one of the chairs, making myself at home.

"What did you want to talk about?" I huff out, knowing already that it's Bella, of course.

"I just wanted to thank you. For taking care of Bella after I left."

"HA! Hahaha! Are you serious? Wow. You bastard. I did it for her, not for you. No need to thank me. She didn't need you, after all. She just needed time."

"Well I want to thank you anyway. You didn't have to do what you did. Or... you did, didn't you? You had to take care of her. Oh, I see it. Imprints are so very interesting. I wonder, what would happen if Bella decided that she didn't want to be with you anymore?" Edward looked curious, thinking it over in his head.

"We won't ever know, will we? It's hard to ignore this level of love and dedication. I've loved her since I was a little boy. This isn't going away. Don't get any fucking ideas."

"You'll tell her that I asked about her and would like to see her?" Edward asked, getting up from his chair. He holds out his hand for me to shake, and I almost didn't take it. Since I'm going to need his help in the coming weeks, I reach out and grab it, squeezing hard and shaking, once. What would crush a normal man's hand has no effect on him. He grins and reaches out with his other hand to pat my back. This is going to be awkward as all hell.

 **So, what do you think? Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites, and thank you again for reading! I think only a few more chapters left, though I haven't pinned down how many yet. I'm thinking maybe 4? Just a reminder that I will only be posting on Fridays from here on. I hope you enjoy the story!**


	16. Chapter 16: You Don't Do It For Me Anymo

Chapter 16: You Don't Do It For Me Anymore

Jacob's POV

 **A/N: Hello again, my lovely readers! I hope you like this chapter, I know it's been a full week since I posted. I have been so busy. I have the next chapter ready to go, and there will only be a couple more!**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns all of Twilight Universe and the characters. I play in her playground, folks.**

I wake up and meet Paul next to the garage, knowing in my bones that patrol today is going to be as interesting as watching paint dry. We run the same areas as always, leaving nothing unchecked. Our shift is shorter today than it normally is, since we are older members of the Pack and have to be there for the Treaty Amendment meeting. 7:30 am comes fast. We are alerted by Brady, who is keeping watch in town, that it's time for our shift change. We both head to our respective homes to get showers, cleaning our run off of us.

"Bells! Did you sleep well?" I ask the beauty sitting at my kitchen table, kissing her on the cheek. She smiles at me and nods, sipping her coffee. It's one of the only things that she can stomach first thing in the morning. She's not a big talker this time of day, so I tell her I'm hopping in the shower and it shouldn't take long. I climb out, wrap the towel around my waist, and head back to the room when I'm done. Bella is sitting on the bed. She does this now, every time she thinks I might be naked. It's flattering, really, and it boosts my self-esteem. I'm good with it.

"You are so gorgeous, Jacob Black," she cooed. "I have a bit of an idea, if you're ok with it. How would you feel about... Marking your territory? Leah told me that she could smell when we've been together. Maybe we should... I don't know, try to make me smell like you so that Edward will understand better? I don't want any problems," she says coyly, looking up at me from beneath her lashes. I can feel myself getting hard, and I think that maybe she might have a good plan. I feel like I've gotten over my fear of hurting her while she is receiving radiation treatments, and besides, it pisses her off when I try to deny her.

I walk over to her and drop my towel. I hold out my hand, expecting her to get up so that we can undress her, but she grabs it and puts my pointer finger in her mouth. Any doubts that I had about this, go away as she reaches her other hand forward and grabs my stiff cock, taking my finger out of her mouth and replacing it swiftly. I groan, watching her mouth move up and down the length of my manhood, her soft pink lips working hard to accommodate my girth. I can feel her tongue swirling up and down as she goes, surprising me. She definitely feels like she's done this before, but I know for sure she hasn't.

I push her back gently, seeing her gaze up at me from the bed with that look in her eyes, like she could just devour me. I lean down and unbutton her pants, and pull those and her panties off at the same time, not bothering to separate them. I dip my head down between her legs and lick there several times, parting her lips with my tongue and pushing my fingers inside her to ready her for me.

"Oh, yes, Jake. That feels so fucking good! Now come up and fuck me. Come ON, Jake!" she urges me when I decide to tease her a little more. I come up from my ministrations and look down at her glistening core. I line my adamantine dick up with her slit and slide in, her wetness helping the fluid motion. "Oooohhhh MMMMMMM Yes!" she moans in a needy way, and I start pumping, grinding my hips into her on every other thrust, directly pushing on her love button. Her eyes flutter and she intakes a short breath every time I do it. I reach up under the shirt she still has on and grab her tit, squeezing her nipple between my finger and thumb, then start kissing her again.

"Oh, God, Bella, you feel so good," I whisper into her mouth, and I start to feel her vagina clench around me. I start thrusting faster, grinding into her over and over again.

"Oh, fuck. Oh, FUCK!" Bella cries out, and I feel and see her come completely undone, her face tightening and then going slack. "Jake, let me finish you!" she gasps, and I almost lose it right here with the thought of it. I get off of her and stand back on my feet, and she sits back up on the bed and puts my dick in her mouth, using her hand to glide up and down at the same time.

"Jesus Christ, you are amazing!" I encourage her, as she looks up at me with a mouth full, and that does it for me. "I'm going to cum!" I tell her, and she looks back up at me, plunging her mouth further down my shaft. My vision goes fuzzy at the edges, and my release comes hard. She gets up, wiping the corners of her spotless mouth, and I am still so turned on that I consider round two. I know everyone is bound to start coming here soon, so I settle for kissing her neck. I wonder briefly if I should leave a mark, but no, Edward will smell me just fine. I love yous are murmured before we find our clothes and get ready to face the rest of the day.

We're sitting on the couch in the living room when Dad is wheeled in by Sue, who decides to go home and sit this meeting out. She's been so stressed out about all of this that the other Tribal Council members have given her a break. Leah will sign in her stead, since one of the Clearwaters need to be present. After Dad comes in, the other pack members arrive, in twos and threes. Sam shows up at three minutes to nine, and shortly after, there is a knock on the door that could only be the Cullens. I feel Bella tense beside me. I thought that maybe I should send her with Sue, but all of the wolves are here and I am not comfortable with that while there are leeches around, I don't care who they are.

The first through the door after Sam answers it is Carlisle. Esme, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and finally Alice all walk into the cramped space, most of the wolves moving to the edges of the room so that the vamps can be near the table to see the Treaty and its papers to sign. Basically it says that they are allowed to be on the Quileute lands as long as they do not hunt or hurt anyone, wolf or not. They are able to help kill any bloodsuckers that come here.

After the Treaty is signed, everyone shakes hands, and the wolves start filing out of the house. Everyone is so damn big I know that from the outside it must look like a bunch of clowns leaving a tiny car, some big magic trick. Most of them have to duck on the way out of the door. I laugh a little to myself at this and Bella looks over at me questioningly. 'I'll tell you later' I mouth, and almost immediately I am having to deal with the Cullens. I guess I didn't really account for it when I said she wouldn't be feeling up to seeing more than just Alice, that they would all be here tonight, anyway.

"Let's walk out to the front porch," I tell them, picking up Bella and throwing the blanket from the back of the couch over my shoulder. "It's a bit stuffy in here now." I sit Bella down in her rocking chair and put the blanket over her, and sit down beside her in my own rocking chair. This is the first time we've used them and my heart floods when I see her rocking it back and forth with my Mom's blanket covering her legs. I reach over and grab her hand, squeezing it lightly.

"Can I give you a hug, Bella?" Alice asks her, and I am not surprised to see Bella just hold out her arms to her. She has missed her so much. Alice comes away looking like she's hiding her disgust, and I realize that Bella must smell an awful lot like sex with a wolf. Edward's face scowls, and it goes away so quickly I think maybe I was making it up.

"Those chairs are really nice. The craftsmanship is beautiful. Oh. You made them, Jacob?" Edward asks me, though I know already that he saw it in my mind. "Forever, huh?" he chuckles softly, like this is such a cute joke to him.

"Stay the fuck out of my head, Edward. I've already warned you about that. The Treaty says I can't kill you for being here, but it says nothing about me kicking your ass."

"I'd like to see you try," he starts, but a look from Carlisle has him backpedaling. "Listen, I'm not digging. You just shout a lot. I could hear you without even trying. Not my fault," he declares, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"Where have you been?" Bella pushes into the conversation quietly. She's the only one here without ridiculous hearing abilities, so all of us heard the whisper. Alice kneels beside her and takes her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm sure you know the reason we left, even if you didn't understand then. I think maybe this isn't something we should talk about with such a large crowd around."

"I'll never be alone with you. Or anyone but a wolf, probably, at least until this is all over. I guess you can come back tomorrow, but Leah will be here with me," Bella tells her.

"But she hates me," Alice whines.

"You've never even met her, Alice. I don't know anyone who doesn't love you. Charlie will be so happy to see you, too," Bella smiles.

"I do know, though. I've seen it. She hates me. And Jessica was recently here while she was, she's still in a bad mood from that. Does Leah like ANYONE?" Alice laments.

"Hahaha oh man! I forgot to ask about that! I'm sorry I dropped her on you like that, babe, but I had to go meet up with the lee-" Bella gives me a nasty look so I change, mid-word, "uh, Cullens."

"OH! Maybe we can go over to Emily's tomorrow! She makes such good food. I mean, I know you don't eat, Alice, but I was thinking we could make it a girl's day since I have to be around other people, anyway?" Bella hedges.

"That sounds fantastic," Alice agrees, and winks at Bella, squeezing her knee through the blanket.

"We do need to be off. Since we're staying in Forks for a while, we need to unpack again. Thank you for being so gracious. Bella, please let us know if you ever would like to see us. We would love to visit and catch up," Carlisle finishes. Bella says bye to everyone, and they walk back to their cars, driving away like they can't move even faster than that on their own two legs.

"Well, that went rather well, don't you think?" I laugh.

Bella's POV

Last night was uncomfortable, to say the least. Everyone was on edge, and no one seemed the way they were when they left. But I guess I've changed, too. I just expected them to be the same since they've been alive for so long. I figure that if they wanted to change, they would have done it a long time ago. Edward seemed aggressive, challenging. I nearly slapped him when he mentioned 'forever', like he hadn't promised me the same thing just a few short months ago.

Today seems like a good day for a girl's day. I might even convince everyone to come to the salon with me to use my gift certificate from Sue and Seth. I called Emily last night after everyone left, and she's probably been baking all day, knowing that we would be over. I am so thankful that Paul Imprinted on Leah. This makes things SO much easier between the girls. I don't have to choose who to hang out with anymore. Jake drops me off at Em's and it's not long before Leah and Alice both show up.

"So, I brought some essential girl's day stuff!" Alice gushes, and I turn my head to roll my eyes at the other girls. "I saw that, Bella! Or did I? Just know that I know you rolled your eyes right then!" We all laugh hysterically, like this is something that happens all of the time. "Who wants to go first? We have hair, nails, makeup... I brought a great movie, and popcorn! I haven't eaten any in a very long time, but I remember it being delicious!"

"I would love to have my nails done, if you wouldn't mind, Alice. I need to find a good style for my wedding," Leah responds. Leah promised me that she would behave. Today will be a good day. I'm repeating it like a mantra.

"Absolutely! A wedding? I love weddings so much. Maybe if we are still around, I can help you plan it! I'm fabulous at things like this," Alice enthuses. I know she is trying so hard to fit in, because she is just overdoing everything. Emily is hanging back, staring from the open kitchen. She notices me looking at her and she busies herself with arranging the snacks.

"You guys want a drink while I'm in here?" Emily asks. After we answer, she brings me a ginger ale and Leah a seltzer water. "When did you start drinking these, Lee? You always said 'If it doesn't have sugar in it, I don't want it' when I drank my diet cokes."

"I want to make sure I can fit in my wedding dress, so I can't gain any weight. Since I started phasing, I've gained a few inches around my middle. It's mostly muscle, but Mom theorizes that my wolf is readying my body to become pregnant. Yay," Leah's reply is so sarcastic I have to laugh.

"Speaking of which... We aren't telling everyone yet, but Leah already knows because of the pack mind, of course... I'm pregnant!" Emily says excitedly, and I can't help but be thrilled for her. "We haven't really had time to get married, but we are talking about doing it after we have the baby. We know we are forever, there's no reason to worry about the piece of paper right now. I want to look awesome in my wedding dress, too, Leah!" she nudges her cousin, and they both laugh.

"This is all so exciting!" Alice practically squeals. To be fair, she lives for this kind of thing. She hurries over to the tv and pops in the Pretty in Pink DVD, her laughter tinkling in the air like a tiny fairy. She's so perfect that it's kind of disgusting. Leah makes a face behind her back and I have to stifle a laugh and try to look stern.

"So, Alice. We need to have that conversation about why you guys left. I really just need to know so that I can get some closure. I don't want to revisit the past to get back together with Edward. It's never going to happen," I finish.

"No, I see that. You and Jacob, you're the real thing. It's amazing. I'm not holding out hope for a reunification with my brother, Bella. But I am going to tell you, that you are going to have to tell him that, yourself. No matter what I tell him, him having seen my very visions with his own gift... He can't seem to comprehend that you aren't here waiting for him since he's returned," Alice sighed. "As for the reason we left... Well, Edward was sincerely scared for you. He thought that if he made it as if he didn't exist, then you would be able to forget him. I told him it wouldn't be easy in the beginning, that you would have a very hard time. But I didn't see Jacob Imprinting as a possibility. I guess because he already had."

"So why bother contacting me? If he knew I would be...what I was? When he left? I was a shell. Nothing. I couldn't function, couldn't sleep. Jake was the only thing that made me feel better. Why bother with me if he didn't care enough to try to make it easier on me?"

"Bella, you know why. He obviously still cares for you, he doesn't want you to die. He loves you. You are the only person he's ever been remotely interested in, romantically. He's a one hundred year old virgin, for God's sake. It's no wonder he's so hung up on you, when you smell like you do. Well, like you used to. The wolf smell is pretty overpowering now." I laugh pretty hard at this, because it was done SO purposefully.

"I'm glad you noticed. This brain tumor gets me laid so rarely these days, that I had to use Edward as an excuse."

"Can we talk about our AWFUL visit with Jessica yesterday? What in the fuck was that about?" Leah chimes in, noticing Alice's awkward pause.

"Jake was running to meet up with you guys yesterday and Jess pulled up beside him," I tell Alice. "He directed her straight to me, the delight he is. I had to put up with her condescending 'I'm your friend and I'm worried about you' shtick. Then I had to deal with her bipolar turn to her jealousy over Jacob and the fact that I didn't ask her if it was ok to date him." I look at Emily, including her in the girl talk. "Um, I've had dibs since he was nine, so, no, I didn't consider her. But of course I just told her that I was sorry if it hurt her feelings, but I have been fighting myself over him for years. I got over my biggest obstacle, which was ME, and didn't think anyone else would have a problem with it."

"I always hated Jessica. The way her life is going right now, she will do well with her career, a journalist, by the looks of it. She will marry a man with a mediocre job who gives her ZERO orgasms. That's how many she deserves, the bitch. You should hear some of the things that Edward has heard her think," Alice sneers.

"No love lost, here," I tell her.

"She came over here once with Jacob. I couldn't stand her. Slumming it on the Res. You could tell she thought she was better than us. Not everyone's dad is a doctor. She put her jacket under her ass before she sat on my couch," Emily finally joined the conversation.

We all sit on the couch, taking turns with Alice doing our hair and nails, and she even has some stuff to do facials. Not only do we watch Pretty in Pink, Alice brought Les Miserables, which I absolutely love. Leah and Emily hadn't seen it, but no one loves musicals quite like I do. 'I Dreamed a Dream' gets stuck in my head quite often. This is a long ass movie, so I'm not surprised when Edward shows up to pick up Alice before it's over.

"Edward," I acknowledged him, nodding my head once.

"Hello, Bella. How are you feeling?" he asked. Too bad he can't read my mind. He'd hear me telling him to fuck off.

"I feel fine, thank you."

"I'm glad to hear that from you. Listen, can we talk? Alone?" he insisted.

"Leah and Alice are going to be able to hear us speak anyway. I can't get too far away from my guard, sorry."

"I'm perfectly capable of protecting you, Bella, as you are well aware," he scolded.

"I don't want your fucking protection, Edward! But yes, we do need to talk! Leah, don't follow me. We're just going out to the porch." I storm out, holding the wall for support. I sit in my rocking chair and give Edward a look that told him if he _touched_ the other chair, I would give him hell. He walked down the steps and stood there, looking at me. I used to find that face so beautiful.

"Bella, I really would like to ask you why you've moved in with Jacob? I understand he has Imprinted on you, but that doesn't require anything of you. You don't have to do this, just because I left. I'm back now, and I think we could easily pick up where we left off," he offered. I'm completely gobsmacked. Sitting here with my mouth open, he must think that I'm in shock because I didn't expect him to want me back. He's smiling at me now, waiting for me to speak.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You think we could pick up where we left off, do you? Well I disagree! You left me in the forest by myself. With things that you said were more dangerous than you! And you know what? They are. They are _far more dangerous,_ Edward. Thank God that they have been here to protect me! You said you didn't love me, that you never did. You left me here, and I wasn't even me anymore for months! Jacob has been my savior, and you want me to leave him... Edward, even if he _hadn't_ Imprinted on me, I still wouldn't leave him for you. It's never going to happen. I'll send Alice out," I raged, getting up and stomping back into the house.

"No need to explain, Bella, I understand," Alice said, kissing me on the cheek and heading out the door. "I love you. I'll call so we can have another girl's day soon."

As soon as I see Edward's Volvo round the corner, I collapse into Leah's arms, my chest heaving with sobs. Soon after, I start retching, and I pull back my hair to keep from puking in it. When I let it go, I still have a handful of hair in my hand. This day just keeps getting better.

 **So, what did you think? A small lemon, and interaction with Edward. I'm trying to keep him nice but still unbelievably cocky lol... I hope it's believable! Let me know in my reviews! Thank you all so much for the reviews, Favorites, and Follows! You are amazing! Until next Friday! -Lucy**


	17. Chapter 17: What Hurts the Most

Chapter 17: What Hurts the Most

 **A/n: I hope you guys like this chapter! Happy reading!**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight universe and all of the characters therein.**

Jacob's POV

When Leah brought Bella home that night, my first thought was to drive to the Cullen house and fuck Edward UP. Thankfully, Leah was convincing enough in her story that I think Bella did a fine enough job on her own. For now. I know that Leah hates Edward, and wouldn't lie to me, since I would see it in the Pack Mind anyway. Apparently, Bella let him have it. Good for her. I love that she's becoming a strong woman. I'm not threatened- I'm relieved.

Our first meeting to train for killing baby leeches was awkward. None of the Pack wanted to touch the bloodsuckers, resulting in many of us getting 'killed' by whichever Cullen was fighting at the time. Watching them work as a team is amazing. I grudgingly admit that having Alice and Edward working together on our side is a huge win. Seeing them predict and read each other's every move is quite impressive. After a couple of weeks, even Paul is starting to come around to doing things their way.

Bella insisted on attending both training sessions we've had so far. Since it's freezing out, we wolves have to take turns curling up around her, Leah and I bearing the brunt of that work. I don't mind except for the fact that I get left out a lot. I don't want Leah to feel like Bella is her responsibility, especially in her delicate state. Her hair is now all gone, and she is always wearing the crocheted hat and scarf that Leah and Paul got her for Christmas. She was so sick over New Year's Eve that I didn't even leave the house. Thankfully Sue is on call for us 24/7, Charlie and Dad both pitching in to pay her, and me throwing money in, when I can.

I've been taking odd jobs and doing as much mechanic work as I can, since I'm good at it and people here on the Res trust me. I even did some work on the cars for the Forks Police Station, Charlie making sure that I was paid well and timely. La Push High has actually agreed to let me finish out the year doing virtual school, and I'll still be able to graduate early, if I stay on track. Bella may have to go to summer school, but because of her circumstances, Forks High has been kind enough to let her walk across the stage with the rest of her classmates, even if she doesn't finish on time.

I'm thinking about all of this and watching Edward openly stare at Bella from across the field. Like I said, what she told him was enough for now, but I know in my gut that I'm going to have to give it to this guy before it's all said and done.

Edward's POV

I hate this. I feel like I'm burning up inside and I can't seem to stop it. We're doing a training session and all I can think of is her. She's sitting across the field at my house, with that _**DOG**_ curled up around her. I can't read her mind, but I can read his. He's tossing thoughts at me and I'm fielding them right and left. I try to throw them away without looking at them, but when I see her face, I hold them up for inspection, turning them this way and that. Seeing the sparkle there from her shining soul. One she'll get to keep now, if Jacob holds on to her. I want what's best for her, but I can't help but think that maybe _**I'm**_ what's best.

She's so frail, thin and fragile, with no hair left on her head at all. Her eyebrows are even gone. But Bella isn't the type of woman to draw on fake eyebrows. No, she endearingly calls them out and makes jokes. I could change all of this for her. I could help her. If she were still with me, if I'd never left... she would still want to be changed. She would want to be like me. I'm fighting myself, now. I am having to convince myself daily, that I am not to disrupt her world any more than I already have. She doesn't want or need me. Or does she? Maybe because she's sick and so scared and tired... Maybe that's what she is talking crazy. She loves me. She's loved me since we first spoke, I know. Do I do what is best for her? Or leave her with someone who is obviously incompetent?

"Edward, your turn!" Rosalie sneers at me. " _Let's fucking get this over with, ok?"_ she thinks at me, sneering. "I know you haven't gotten much practice in, since you are translating."

"Sure. Uh, Jacob! Why don't you take a turn? You've been warming Bella for most of the night, I don't think you've gotten much practice in, either."

 _"You mother fucker. You just don't want me over here with Bella, do you? This isn't about helping me learn anything. You just can't stand seeing me with her."_ he's shouting at me again, and he's not wrong. From his stream of consciousness, I know he's not purposely doing this. He's just a natural broadcaster. It probably comes from being born Alpha and needing to project himself for the other wolves. Even if he's not doing it on purpose, it still angers me. Decades of control come into play and I prepare my face as a wolf the size of a horse approaches me. Regardless of how untrained he may be, he is a formidable foe and it wouldn't take too much for him to be able to hurt me.

"Alright Jacob. Now remember what we've taught you. Don't let me get my arms around you. _Yeah yeah._ If you can't get to the throat or back of the neck, rip off limbs, that will help you. _I'm not an idiot._ Please just nip, don't actually bite me. _If only._ " His thoughts interrupt between my sentences, and since I've been doing this for years with humans, I easily talk around them like they aren't there.

 _"This is fucking ridiculous. How many practices do we really need to know how to kill a bloodsucker? We've done it, we know how. I'm going to keep doing this only because we agreed to it. Our names are on that damn Treaty and we have to keep our word."_

"Thank you, Jacob." I tell him, and though none of my family can hear just what he is saying, it's easy to guess that he's complaining, from the look on my face.

 _"No problem, Sparkles. Let's do this thing."_

He runs at me, then, but I have the advantage here of reading his mind. The trouble is that the pack have developed a strategy in this against me, and they begin to use it immediately. When they all start talking, thinking, at once, it's harder to pick out whose voice is whose. The stream comes forth from them all, out of Jacob's mind. Luckily Jacob's and Sam's tend to be louder than the others, so I pick one and go with it. This is the first time that I've 'fought' Jacob and he is fast. Strong. Stronger even than Sam. I'm surprised when he nips at my right arm, essentially taking away my strongest weapon besides my teeth. I picked the wrong thought stream to follow.

 _"Come get some, pretty boy,"_ he growls at me, and I run toward him, diving under his belly and reaching out to 'bite' his leg. He leaps away, cursing, _"Fuck. It would only stop my healing process, so I'm not dead yet."_ I agree, so I keep going after him. We're circling each other, him deciding what to do, and me waiting for him to decide.

"Let's go, Jacob. Make a decision."

 _"It's not fair. You're reading my mind. I can't make a decision. There's no strategizing with you! Get out of my head and you can fight me on even footing!"_ Jacob shouts at me, and I know he's right, but I haven't fed in a while. It's harder for me to control my gift when I'm like this.

"Look, man, I'm trying here. Use what you have to make it fair. Find an equalizer."

As soon as I say this, an onslaught of emotions and pictures hit me, videos playing like a reel in my head from Jacob's perspective. Bella telling him that she loves him. Her naked body writhing beneath him, staring up at him. Sitting in her rocking chair, looking more beautiful than ever through his eyes. Her broken spirit lying on her bed in her room, screaming and crying my name.

I hit my knees and feel Jacob's wolf teeth at my throat. I duck my head and feel all of the things that I didn't think I would when it came to her. My body is bowed over, and if I had tears, they would be falling down my face.

"How... How do you deal with that? How do you live with it?" I ask, sincerely wanting to know.

 _"I find comfort in the fact that it was your stupid ass who did it, and that I saved her from that."_ If there was such a thing as a smirk on a wolf, it was happening right now. _"I found my equalizer. It's Bella. She makes me more, she makes me enough. You threw her away, and now, you can never have her back. Sorry, bro."_

Bella's POV

Leah is wrapped around me, her fur keeping me warm in Jake's absence. I'm watching the mock fight between him and Edward with baited breath. Of course I want Jacob to win, but I still haven't seen any wolves in action against Edward. He's been translating this whole time, so I'm not sure how his mind reading will play into this.

I see it almost immediately. Every time Jake moves, Edward makes another move to match it. It's like chess, and Edward knows all of his opponent's thoughts. No one wants to fight this guy. After a couple of minutes of them fighting, Edward tells Jacob to find an equalizer. Apparently he's frustrated with the mind reading, but who wouldn't be? Edward suddenly falls to his knees, and looks up at Jake's wolf in anguish. "How do you live with it?" rings through my ears, and I know they are talking about me. Shell-Bella. Broken Bella.

They are still staring at each other when all of the wolves perk up their ears and tilt their heads back, howling. The Pack takes off running at full speed, leaving us all wondering what is going on. Leah hops up and starts growling, pacing back and forth on the grass behind me, leaving me shivering with the cold. Jacob is running toward me as a human, and I realize I didn't see him phase back. His nakedness has caused quite a commotion with the vampires, especially the women. Rosalie and Alice are nudging each other and whispering, giggling to themselves behind their hands. Edward looks genuinely horrified.

"Bells, listen. We need to get you home. The younger wolves have found a trail. They are following it now. Leah has been staying with you lately and she's itching to go, so I'm going to take you back, myself." He nods at Leah then, and she runs in the same direction the rest of the pack went, breaking through the tall brush that lines the woods easily. Jake turns toward the rest of the crowd, all vampires now. "We'll see you guys next time. I'll have Seth call and update you on what is happening. It's only one trail, one scent, so they should be able to take care of it easily." Jake sweeps me up into his arms and starts to jog toward the red beast, parked in the Cullens' driveway. He puts me in the passenger side and I am freezing, trying my best to warm myself up.

"I've been wanting to get out of there for hours. Thank God for a stupid vampire trail in the woods. I'd had enough of Edward just staring at me all night," I huff out, blowing the warm breath onto my hands. I wish I had gloves to go with my hat and scarf.

"Still a toasty one-oh-eight over here, Bells. Slide over, I'll keep you warm," he smiles at me, and I start to feel better promptly. I scoot over and eyeball him. It has not escaped my attention that he is still nude. It just doesn't bother him anymore, since he's naked so damn often. He has shorts in here- I keep them under the seat. But I'm not telling him that. A sly smile sneaks across my face, and I have to stop myself from chuckling as I warm my hands on his rock-hard abs. You could cut diamonds with those things.

"My own personal sun. Jacob Black, you help me grow," I sigh, leaning my head over onto his chest. His arm comes down around my shoulders and pulls me to him, planting a chaste kiss on the top of my head.

I just lay there, listening to the blood rushing through his veins, the air going in and out of his lungs. He is everything. He is MY everything.

Jacob's POV

She fell asleep halfway between Forks and home. She's always so exhausted lately, I can't bear to make her stay awake. Taking her back inside, I lay her down on our bed and pull her shoes off, leaving her socks on so she doesn't get too cold. I take a shower and brush my teeth, getting ready for bed. I make a call to Sam to check in. The trail led to the ocean, no leeches in sight. I text Seth from my phone for him to call Edward and update him. I look at my alarm clock and see that it's after two in the morning. These late nights are killing me. Thank God wolves don't need much sleep.

I look in the mirror while brushing my teeth this morning and see the dark circles around my eyes, my hair sticking up all over from going to sleep with it wet. I got three hours of sleep last night, and now I have patrol. I have to get some food in me, so I run to the kitchen and grab the giant jar of pickled eggs that Bella made me for when I am in a rush. I pound down six of them while I'm waiting for my toast. I spread peanut butter on the toast and scarf it while I'm walking to the garage to meet Paul.

"How's Bella doing?"

"Shit. She's not well, man. Since all of her hair fell out, she doesn't really have a thing to calm her down when she gets upset. Which is a lot lately. She used to like for me to run my fingers through her hair, it really relaxes her. I've thought about telling her that I can rub her head, but I think it will make it worse for her, emotionally. The nausea medicine isn't really helping anymore, it just makes her tired. We went to the doctor yesterday and she's got a medical marijuana card now. We are going to the dispensary in Forks later today." I sigh audibly, and Paul looks at me, pointedly.

"The police Chief's daughter is going to be smoking pot? That's hilarious. I could have hooked her up with my guy..."

"Shut up. You know she had to do this the legal way. It IS much more expensive this way, but it is what it is. Do you need workers right now? I could really use the money, man. I hate to beg, but I am good with my hands, I have great endurance. You could do worse than hiring me," I appeal to him.

"Absolutely, man. I hadn't offered you a job before because of school. I could use you. Starting pay isn't much, but after your probationary period is over, you'll get a good raise. I wouldn't even doubt it that you will be promoted quickly. Don't want to be accused of favoring my friends, or I would just put you in charge of a crew," Paul added.

"Thanks, man. Let's get to work."

Bella's POV

Being the daughter of the Chief of Police has put me in some awkward situations in my teenage years, but I'm not sure any have been quite this bad. I walk into the dispensary with Charlie and Jake, and the cashier's eyes bug out.

"Chief Swan! Um, what brings you here today?" she beams at him, looking so much like a deer in the headlights.

"Well, as I'm sure you've heard, Bella here has been on radiation for the past few weeks. Her medicine isn't working anymore, so the doctor prescribed her some... ahem... Marijuana. So we're here to pick something up," he mutters the last part, and I can tell he is just as uncomfortable as everyone but Jake. Jacob is trying to keep from laughing.

"Sure. I need to see your medical marijuana prescription card first, sorry. It's the law," she winks at Charlie, who chuckles while I pull it out of my purse and show it to her. She nods, then continues. "Bella, what were you looking for, exactly?" she smiles at me, looking a bit more relaxed now.

"I've lost a lot of weight. I need to stop vomiting and I need my appetite to pick back up. I can see my ribs. I hate that," I whisper. "The doctor is really just worried that I am losing too much. I can't afford to lose any more. I'm closing in on 95 pounds now." She comes around the counter and rubs my back, taking my hand with her free one, and squeezing it.

"I'm sorry. I think I can help with that, though, so that's good news! Now, the question is, would you rather smoke it or eat it? I have a wide variety of edibles, but they tend to be more expensive. I also have a few different forms of smoking. You can choose from a joint, a pipe, or a vape pen. The vape tends to be less harsh. What do you think?" she lets go of me and walks toward the wall to the left, behind the counter, to what looks like a bunch of jars full of different kinds of pot.

"Well, we're really broke right now, but I really don't want you smoking if we can help it. That stuff will ruin your lungs, baby," Charlie pats my arm, such a caring tone and gesture for him that I start to tear up. I hold it together because I can't just cry everywhere I go.

"It's short term, Dad," I assure him. "My lungs can afford to smoke for a few weeks. Maybe the vape pen, since I'm not a smoker?"

"That's a great choice, Bella! We even have flavors so it's not that bad. Cotton candy, grape, birthday cake! We have most fruit or dessert flavors you can think of." She looks at me expectantly, waiting to see what I might be interested in.

"Do you have, just, like... mint, maybe?" I ask hesitantly, looking up at Charlie, and grabbing Jake's hand. He squeezes it softly, then lets go and puts his arm around my waist.

"We do. We have peppermint, spearmint, and menthol. Menthol is more for those who are cigarette smokers, they are used to a certain type of taste to their menthol cigarettes. Do you think you would like peppermint or menthol better?" She holds up two small vials of clear liquid.

"Peppermint, please."

"Ok, I have to set you up with a vape and some essential accessories. Do you have any questions for me?" When no one says anything, she starts ringing up our items. "If you have any questions that you think of once you leave, please don't hesitate to call. I'm putting one of my cards in your bag. I have to tell you that you are not to share your prescription with anyone else. This is for you only." I can tell that she says this to everyone, these exact words must escape her mouth several times a day.

"I don't think I'll have any problems with that. Thank you so much for your help!" I say as we are walking out of the door. I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that our adventures are done for today. Now I can look forward to eating good food this week. Emily is dying to make me a good meal that I can actually eat!

 **Alright guys! I've gotten a little behind and my computer shut down in the middle of me writing the next chapter, and I hadn't saved yet :/ So I am starting on the next one from scratch! I'm sure I'll have it done by next Friday. As always, thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews! You're the best! Gimme more! 3**


	18. Chapter 18: Dreams

Chapter 18: Dreams

 **A/N: Ok guys! I hope you enjoy! Getting close to the end now :)**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight universe and all characters therein. I just wrote this story.**

Bella's POV

Alice walks through the front door, knowing that Billy isn't here I'd guess, because she doesn't knock. She knows I don't care, but Billy would be upset to know that a vampire was comfortable enough to just walk into his house like this. Currently sitting here in my sweats, hitting my marijuana vape pen, she laughs at me, sitting down beside me on the couch.

"Bella Swan, I never took you for a stoner! Such a stereotype of a police officer's child. That's not punk rock. Go against the grain, young one, say nope to dope!" Her tinkling laughter sets me off on a fit of giggles. She always makes me feel better.

"I thought for sure I would hate it. This is a hybrid, so it does get me a little high, but I'm not stupid like I thought I would be. I just kinda get hungry and my belly doesn't feel as sick. My anxiety has been tons better. It's quite nice, actually," I inform her. "Did you ever try any before you were turned?"

"I never tried any drug voluntarily before I was turned. But at the asylum, they used a number of things to try to stop my visions. They just couldn't believe that I knew things before they would happen. I don't blame them, it really is hard to believe."

"I didn't think about that. That must have been hard.," I empathize, patting her arm to try to console her.

"It makes other people more upset than it does me. It was a lifetime ago!" she laughed. "Since you didn't get to make the wolf-slash-vamp meeting on Friday, I wanted to make sure that everything was explained to you properly. I know Jake has been so busy that maybe his brain might be too full..."

"I know you're not trying to insult my boyfriend, Alice," I assure her. "If you would like to explain I would love to hear it again. I know that this is you trying to calm my anxiety. Thanks." I smile at her encouragingly, our breakable friendship strengthening every day.

"So, the newborn army will be here within this week. They are still finalizing some details, some decisions still need to be made, then they will come. I know you are worried, but Bella, everything is going to be fine. There are a couple of endings to this that I've seen, but you survive in all of them. It's going to be fine. You're going to live."

"I'm sad that you think that me living is the thing I'm worried about."

"Everything is going to be ok, love," she comforts me. "Listen, I have to get going, and your beau will be home soon. I know you are going to have a busy afternoon. If you have anything else you want to talk about, call me on my cell. Edward is still lurking by the house phone," she says, rolling her golden eyes.

'Crimson and Clover' saves me today as I lay on my bed, overthinking everything. In about an hour, we'll be at my appointment for my brain scan. I've been ready for half an hour, now, and Jacob should be here any minute from patrol. Charlie was going to come, too, but he got called into the station for an assault and robbery case. When you're Chief of Police, you don't really have a choice. If they call, you go. It's really ok, since Jake is the person I rely on most now. I think we can handle anything together.

"Hey sexy," Jacob says, after pulling my headphones off of my ears.

"Sexy. Ha. Thanks," I reply, sardonically.

"I will take the time to convince you on the way to your appointment. Right now, I need to get a shower to get this sweat off of me. If I pack up some food really quick, can you hold it for me in the truck? We'll be able to get out of here quicker if I can eat on the way. Want me to pack you something?" he asks thoughtfully.

"Some toast would be great. Thanks, babe."

"No problem," he smiles, kissing my lips softly. His lips awaken my hunger for him, and I try to squash it down. I have to be careful these days, with Jacob treating me like a fragile flower, I can't afford to have physical needs. Still, as he walks away, I imagine his bare ass under his shorts. My eyes skim up to the muscles under his shoulder blades, down his sides. God, he is magnificent.

Switching my brain over, I take this opportunity to have some thoughts. I haven't really given myself time to think. There's too much going on, too much for me to stress out about and have anxiety over. Music has been my escape, I just sing the words and let them take over me, so that I don't have to think about my life right now. I really want to go over some things with myself before I go to my appointment and figure out just how much my life is going to change after today.

Alice assured me that everything is going to be ok. That is such good news for me to take in. I've been so worried about everyone making it out of this intact that I think it may have been adding to my upset stomach. She told me that she didn't want to talk about my brain surgery, that the doctor will address it today and that I don't need to ponder on it.

Tonight we're supposed to be going to Emily and Sam's for dinner to talk about throwing a bachelorette party for Leah. Tomorrow is the dinner with the Clearwaters to discuss a baby shower for Emily. They are getting such good things in life. I got a brain tumor and a hemorrhoid of an ex boyfriend who won't take a hint. AND I lost all of my hair. It's the trifecta.

Alice did mention to me that she saw something great in my future, Jake taking a step further in our relationship. It can only mean one thing. Some would argue that her telling me this ruins the surprise, but I NEED to be told beforehand. I'm not good with being caught unawares, and she knows that. I know where this relationship is going. Jacob is the best thing to ever happen to me, and as much as I was disturbed by the hints at marriage that Edward made, I don't mind the idea of marriage itself. Maybe this is a bit early for my tastes, but we won't get married until I say it's time. Jake is anything but pushy.

"Babe! You ready to go? I made you some toast like you asked. I'm putting everything in a bag and sticking it in the truck, then I'll come get you, ok?" Jacob yells from the kitchen.

"I'm ready!" I shout back, and then it occurs to me... This is how he speaks to his dad. Billy has been Jacob's responsibility for years now. And now that Sue is hanging around more and he's had more freedom, he's replaced his obligations with my burdens. I all of a sudden feel horrible for him.

"Alright! Up we go!" he picks me up and kisses me on the forehead, carrying me out the door and putting me in the passenger seat of the truck.

"Thank you, Jacob. You do so much for me," I mutter, getting emotional when he scoots into the driver seat. I tear up, and he reaches over to pull me closer to him. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure that this is not what you thought you were signing up for when we finally got together. This has to feel like so much for you."

"You are not too much. Don't be sorry! You're never going to be too much for me, love. I don't do this for you because I have to, it's because I want to. I love you, no matter what," he whispers, then leans down and kisses my lips again. When he starts up the truck, I almost feel better about being such a weight for him.

Jacob's POV

"I can walk, it's fine," she tells me when I open her truck door. I must not have done a very good job of convincing her earlier. She thinks that this is some horrible thing in my life. I'm sad that she's having to go through this, but I'm thankful. I'm thankful that I can be with her through all of it. It gives me a reason to be with her constantly, otherwise I would be at school and doing double patrols like everyone else. I am thankful that we know that she is going to come out of this alive and will be healthy again.

"Ok, but I'm going to follow close behind you. This is not a radiation thing, this is a 'Bella is clumsy' thing," I assure her.

"Asshole," she smirks at me, then starts the walk up to the office doors. This is a big day for her, the day we find out for sure that Alice is right and it will be time to do the surgery.

Waiting in the lobby, we have made up a game of counting the number of people who come out looking like they got bad news and comparing it to the amount of people who come out who look fine. Usually the sad looking people are the greater number. We don't tell people about the game, because Bella says people will think it's my idea. No one ever thinks anything bad of her.

"Isabella Swan?" a nurse asks, looking up from her clipboard.

"I've got it. Just follow me," Bella whispers to me, and I do what she asks. She gets tired so easily, but if we're not at home, it embarrasses her to be carried around. I get it. I trail behind her, slowly but surely making it to the triage room where they take your vitals and stuff.

"96 pounds! You've gained a pound since your last radiation treatment. Great job, Bells! I'm so excited for you," I practically scream. The nurse looks at me and smiles, making a gesture with her hand that says 'quieten down'. "Sorry," I stage whisper, then hug Bella softly. She's smiling. This is a great start to this appointment.

"This way, you'll be in room three, Miss Swan," the nurse says again, and we follow her down the hall about halfway to a room that looks less than inviting. It's clinical. Absolutely clean, smells like bleach, and not even a picture on the wall. No wonder people with cancer are so depressed. I grab Bella and pull her into my lap when I see her shivering. No need for her to sit on the bed until the anesthesiologist comes in, anyway.

"Ok Miss Swan! Are you ready to go check on that brain tumor today?" the anesthesiologist says when she walks in. She's too chipper. Way too happy for this situation.

"Um, sure," Bella stammers, and I can tell she's suddenly nervous from her sweaty hand in mine. I pick her up and sit her on the bed, kissing her more firmly than I have lately.

"Everything is going to be fine, remember? It's going to be fine. I love you. I guess I have to leave now, right?" I ask Dr. Haines.

"Yep, that's right! We'll call you back when she is back in the room."

"I love you, too, Jacob," Bella says, and a tear falls down her cheek. I reach over and wipe it off with my thumb, smiling at her.

"I'll be here when you wake up," I promise, then walk out of the door. Heading back into the lobby is hard for me. My wolf is snarling inside, sensing his mate's discomfort with being separated from me.

Waiting for Bella's scan to finish, I continue playing the game that we started earlier. A man walks out, looking down at his shoes. His eyes are red-rimmed, his nose running. A woman walks out with a boy shortly after, smiling. I keep track faithfully, needing something to distract me, wanting to report back to Bella to help distract her, too.

By the time the nurse comes out to bring me back to Bella's room, I've counted ten more sad patients, and six more that weren't crying. I walk in the room and Bella is still asleep, though the nurse tells me it won't be much longer and she will wake up. I grab her hand and stare at the sheets, thinking about the ring that I'm saving up for. Paul followed through and hired me, and I've been working for two weeks, saving up almost all of it. Dad has given his blessing, but I still need to talk to Charlie. I'm just waiting for Bella's scan so that he can't question why I want to marry her.

"Jake..." her small voice brings me out of my thoughts, her hand flexing in mine. I look at her, see her eyes searching for my face.

"I told you I would be here when you woke up," I said, standing and kissing her forehead again. Her eyebrows are even gone. The other day she said she looks like Powder, but sicker. I laugh out loud when I remember this, because she can be so ridiculous I can't help it.

"I feel like shit. I hate anesthesia," she mumbles.

"I'm sorry, babe. I counted more people while you were in the MRI. There were ten sad people. Six that weren't sad looking. One guy's nose was running so bad while he was checking out, that he kept wiping it on his shirt to keep it off of his lips. It was really gross, Bells. OH! I forgot. I brought your MP3 player loaded with awesome music. Well, your awesome music, anyway. There is definitely no Metallica on there. Do you want me to put your headphones on you?" I ask her, and she nods her head yes. I put them on her, and when I hit the play button, I watch her close her eyes like she always does when she hears the first notes of a song.

Bella's POV

He slips the headphones over my ears and hits play. I close my eyes, hearing the first notes of 'Rainy Days and Mondays'. This song, I feel it in my soul. Jacob's hand tightens around mine, his thumb making the swirling motions I like on the top of it. I open my eyes to look into his, and the words hit me:

Funny, but it seems I always wind up here with you  
Nice to know somebody loves me  
Funny, but it seems that it's the only thing to do  
Run and find the one who loves me

And I have. I've run until I found someone who loves me.

I'm still looking at Jacob when he looks up at who just came in the room. Dr. Mallier walks in, his lips moving, and since I'm still foggy from anesthesia I can't understand why I can't hear him. I can see Jake's eyes crinkle with laughter and he reaches over and pulls my headphones off. They are both laughing, and it takes me a minute to get it. I crack a smile and roll my eyes.

"What's up, doc?" I ask, chuckling to myself.

"I took the time out of my schedule to go ahead and look at your scans. Everything is looking really good! I'm impressed with the reduction in size, it's actually smaller than I thought it would be by now. I'm going to schedule for surgery as soon as possible. It should be within the next few days. We don't want it growing any more and undoing those weeks of radiation. Our nurse will set you up the appointment. She'll let you know what you'll need to do as far as fasting is concerned, as well. Any questions?" he asked, pausing for a few seconds while I shook my head side to side. I've read up on everything that they are going to do and what complications may arise. "Then I'll see you, soon, Miss Swan!" he finished, patting my arm, then turning around to walk out of my room.

Jake and I both sighed at the same time. I'm pretty sure we were both holding our breath the whole time Dr. Mallier was in the room. Jake squeezes my hand harder, picking it up and pressing his lips to the back of it. I smile, appreciating this small loving gesture so much right now. As soon as the anesthesia wears off enough for me to be able to move around half properly, they'll send me home. In the meantime, I slip my headphones back on my ears and relax into Fleetwood Mac's Dreams.

Jacob's POV

When we get home from the scan, Dad tells me that Charlie had called and I need to call him back to let him know what the news is. After I call Charlie, I settle Bella into bed in the room. She's tired and needs a nap. The nurse told me that she should be fine to sleep if she wanted, it's not a concussion or anything.

So, the day after tomorrow she has surgery. Tomorrow night, she has to be checked into the hospital to monitor her and make sure she fasts before the surgery. Opening up the brain is serious business. I'm scared to death, shaking. I decide that I need to talk to someone who can reassure me that everything will be ok. I pick up the phone and dial the number to the Cullen residence.

"Jacob?" Alice's voice asks, not requiring a hello.

"Yeah, it's me. Can you come over for a little while?"

"Sure thing, Jake. I'll be right over," Alice says into the phone, and I relax a little. She was expecting this call, obviously. And why wouldn't she be? She's watching everything around here. I'm waiting for about ten minutes when I hear a knock on the door. Vampires really are fast. I answer the door, and Alice's face smiles up at me.

"Come on in, shorty," I tease, elbowing her. We've developed a repartee, Alice and I. Spending as much time as we have together, lately, will do that to you I guess. She comes over to hang with Bells, who falls asleep ¾ of the time. We've had to do a lot of talking.

"Thanks, Chief Jacob," Alice mockingly bows, then walks through the door. "I'm guessing Bella is asleep? I can hear her breathing heavier than normal."

"Yeah. Listen. I need you to tell me everything you've seen. Please, just tell me that this is going to work out. That Bella is going to come out of this alive. Tell me that she's still going to be MY Bella."

 **We'll see, won't we? I hope you guys like the way the story is going. Let me know by posting a review! Follow and Favorites are so welcome and I'm so grateful for everything you guys do. Thank you for reading! Hope you have a good week!**


	19. Chapter 19: Fight Song

Chapter 19: Fight Song

Bella's POV

Alice is here when I wake up, sitting on the couch, reading my copy of Wuthering Heights. I look at the clock and see that it's 6 in the morning, so I must have slept since I got home yesterday from the appointment. I don't know if Jake let Alice stay the night last night or if she got here before he left for patrol this morning, but here she sits. I walk over to the couch and sit down next to her, laying my head over on her shoulder. I hit my vape pen, exhaling the large cloud of smoke that these things produce.

"You slept well?" Alice asks me, turning her head slightly to look at me.

"Mmhmm. I could probably go back to sleep if I wasn't so nervous about going to the hospital tonight. I need to eat something. I'm going to be sick if I don't get something soon." I take another hit from the vape, hoping that my nausea goes away and I don't lose whatever I eat.

"I made you a spinach and mushroom omelet. It's on the table. Want me to walk you over? Or would you like me to bring you the plate here?" she asks, like she doesn't know what she's going to do next. She's already getting up from the couch, and she holds her hand out to me.

"Take me to the table, Alice," I sigh. She helps me hobble over to the kitchen, and I sit down to eat a very nice meal. Alice is a great cook. She had to have brought some of the ingredients over herself, because we definitely didn't have any fresh veggies in the fridge.

"So, I just thought I'd tell you that here in a little while, Edward will be by. There is nothing anyone can do about him coming. Nothing will change it."

"Well that's just fucking great. I wanted to deal with THAT today," I reply sarcastically.

"I don't think you're going to need to," she says, quirking her small mouth to the side.

"What do you mean by that? What's going to happen?"

"Oh, it will be taken care of. You don't need to worry about it, I promise. How is your omelet?" she asked, changing the subject.

"It's great. Thank you," I say gratefully, mouth full of deliciousness.

"No problem. So how far have we gotten with planning Leah's bachelorette party?"

"Well, I missed the dinner, because I was sleeping," I frown. "So far... We've decided that any strippers we might hire wouldn't be nearly as hot as our boyfriends, so that's a no-go. I've ordered the penis shaped cake tin and straws with dicks on the mouth part," I stop because Alice is giggling and I have to laugh a little with her. "We're having themed drinks. Screaming Orgasms, Sex on the Beach, and Pink Panty Droppers. I'm making phallic foods. I've got to order a dildo that we're playing hot potato with. This shit is going to be hilarious."

"Amazing! I'll buy the decorations, if that's ok with you. No, no I don't mind! I want to!" she tells me when I try to object. "I have some great ideas. Would you like it if I made a penis pinata? Pin the penis to the vagina? I haven't done a bachelorette party in so long!"

"That sounds great, Alice. Thank you for helping me. Could you do me a favor and help me get in the shower? I would wait until Jake gets back, but since you are here... If you could sit on the toilet and stay with me, I'd appreciate it. I can't really be alone anywhere that I could hurt myself. I get light headed too easy to shower without help," I intimate. I give her a half smile, apologizing with my face. I'm trying to get out of the habit of apologizing without a good reason.

"I don't mind at all. Let's go, girl!" Alice enthuses, and half carries me to the bathroom, helping me undress and get into the shower. Jake installed a hand rail in here for Billy a few years ago, and it is coming in handy for me these days. I have a few slips, but Alice was already steadying me before I could even call out for her. It's nice to have someone around who knows everything that's going to happen.

She helps me out of the shower, and I think about the times that she used to brush my hair for me. When we were together all of the time, and she figured out that my hair being played with, soothed me. I wipe my face and head off, and wrap the towel around myself, not feeling self-conscious about my body at all. My head is a different story. I reach over and grab the scarf that I normally wear to bed to keep my head warm, and put it on, tying the ends in a little knot at the base of my neck. Alice stands behind me, holding my body steady while I look in the mirror.

"You're beautiful, Bella. You've always been beautiful. What a fantastic vampire you would have made... Well, I am happy that you didn't choose it. No one needs to live this long, believe me. I've grown tired of everything but Jasper, honestly. He is what keeps me going. I'm so glad that you didn't need eternal life to figure out that Edward wasn't for you, and that Jacob is who you were made for. He loves you so much, Bella."

"I know, Alice," I smile softly, leaning against her to take a rest before going to the room to dress. "If you'll help me get to the bed, I can dress myself. I just need to be sitting." She promptly steers me out of the bathroom and to our new widened bedroom, half pink and half blue. She sits me on the bed and I give her a nod, permission to leave. When she walks out, she leaves the door open. I'd guess so that she can run in here if need be.

"You good?" Alice asks as I walk out of the hallway.

"Fine," I grunt a little, trying to hide the fact that I'm tired from standing in the shower so long. She rolls her eyes and is over to me in a flash, picking me up and carrying me to the couch. "I have a question about logistics, Alice."

"Yes, I know," she giggles and pokes me, because she knows I find it annoying that she always knows everything. It's my turn to roll my eyes.

"Ok, so if I'm in the hospital, who is going to protect me? How is this going to work? You've seen them fighting, do any of them come to the hospital?"

"The future I see isn't set in stone, hon. Anything could change at any moment. One decision from an outside source that I'm not watching could change everything. We just have to prepare as best we can. Things are starting to narrow down, now, though. You will absolutely be healing in the hospital when the battle starts. There's nothing we can do to change that. But I think that is a good thing, since you won't be here on the Res. They won't smell you. But, to be fair, Victoria is pretty much focused on killing wolves for now, since they got Riley. She thinks getting to you will be no problem once the wolves are dead."

"So there's nothing I can do, going into this. No way for me to protect my people. I don't know if I can do this, Alice. What if Jacob gets hurt? What if ANYONE gets hurt? I know I'll live, but will I survive? Can I make it through this?" I asked, tears streaming down my face.

Jacob's POV

Walking through the door, I see Alice holding Bella's frail form on the couch. It looks like she fell asleep crying. Her eyes are puffy and they are as red as her nose. Alice looks up at me and gives me a sad smile.

"Go take a shower, Jake. I have her until you are done. No worries. She's asleep, anyway."

I take her advice and get in the shower. I notice it's been used today. Alice must have helped Bella. I do the job quickly, then grab a towel from under the sink to wrap around my lower half. When I walk out into the hall, I peek into the living room and Bella looks at me. I step out, walking over and moving her head scarf up a little so I can kiss her forehead. Alice wolf whistles at me.

"Fitting, right?" she cackles. I have to laugh with her. I gotta admit that I like this one.

"Is there anyone you want to see before I take you to the hospital later, Bells? Charlie is coming with us. I can call Leah, maybe? Emily? Any of the guys... I mean I can take you wherever. Or they can come here. I'll let you think about it. I'm going to get dressed." I leave the two women in the living room, closing the door to my room. I would guess that Alice knows exactly what I look like, naked, but I don't want to give her a live show. I hear her laugh again. She's so good at distracting Bella. I enjoy her being around.

I dress quickly, then head to the kitchen for a quick snack of 4 pickled eggs and a handful of almonds. Alice is helping Bella up when I get back to the living room.

"We're going to see the Clearwaters. If you can get Sam and Emily to come over, I'd like to have one good meal before I go to the hospital. I know it will be a long time before I get to eat properly again," she says, grimacing a little. She just got to where she could enjoy food again, and this is actually bothering her pretty bad.

"You got it, babe. I'll call Sam now." I grab my house phone and call. Emily picks up the phone and I relay the information. She said she would go shopping and be over as soon as she could. Alice has Bella completely bundled up, so I just pick her up and walk to the truck, asking Alice to lock the door behind us. The ride is short. I would walk it, honestly, but Bella gets cold too quickly in her condition. I don't bother knocking on the door, turning the knob and pushing it open easily.

"Bella! Jacob! You weren't supposed to be over for a few hours to pick me up. And Alice, too? I've missed you, Alice! I really hope after all of this is over, you'll still be around..." Charlie trails off after I give him a look. Bella has already been crying today. "Why so early?"

"Well, Bells decided that she wanted to see some people before she went to the hospital."

"And food. I need food. Good food, because I'm not going to have anything but chicken broth and jello for a while." Bella interjects.

"Yes, and food," I chuckle, sitting her down on the couch. "Emily is going shopping and will be here soon enough."

"That must have been what Sue was talking about. She left here mumbling about grocery shopping with Emily. Something about fry bread I think she was going to go check on your Dad at the senior center, too. He's gotten sweet on someone over there," Charlie recalls. This is the first I've heard of Dad talking to a woman. I thought for sure that he and Charlie would end up fighting to the death over Sue.

"Mmmmm yes! Fry bread!" Bella shouts. We all laugh. She is just so cute.

"What do you want to do until then, love?" I ask her, and just then, Leah and Paul walk in the front door. I knew they would be here soon. Paul likes to shower at his place after our patrols, but they end up back over here not long after that.

"She wants to play cards and listen to music! I brought some from Paul's house," Leah says, pulling a deck from her jacket pocket. "Sound good, Bella?"

"Yes, that sounds great. Spades? Some people will have to sit out, if that's ok. I brought my phone, if you have a speaker I can play some good music!"

"Girl you know I have you covered!" Leah enthuses, passing by Alice and squeezing her shoulder as a hello. She disappears into her bedroom, I assume searching for the speakers. Paul grabs my hand as he walks by, pulling me to him and patting my back. He's the closest thing to a brother I've ever had. He sits down beside Bella and squashes her into his side, and she lays her head on his bare chest. This might have made another guy jealous, but I know what's happening. He's warm. I laugh a little, walking over and sitting down beside her. She looks over at me and smiles.

"Go away, Jacob. I'm trying to steal Leah's fiancee."

"Oh, feel free. But just know, I'm the same temperature he is. And I'm cuter," I grin, batting my lashes ridiculously.

"Good point," she admits, then scoots over closer to me.

"Hey!" Paul protests. "I disagree! I'm much cuter than Jacob!"

"He's right!" Leah yells, coming out of her room, speakers in hand. "Paul is so much cuter. But Seth has you all beat. Wait until he fully grows into his wolf! With those Clearwater genes, we're going to have to beat them back with a stick!" We're all laughing hysterically, now. It's good to have some lightheartedness with all of this craziness going on. Leah grabs Bella's phone from her, taking it and the speakers to the table. "Who is playing?"

"I can sit out," Alice immediately says. "I'm going to be sketching ideas for your bachelorette party."

"Awesome idea, Alice! Charlie, do you want to play?"

"Nah, just being here is enough for me. I'll watch," Charlie answers.

"Ok, so Bella and Jake, and Paul and me. Let's do this, guys!" Leah turns on the music, and 'Lovefool' by The Cardigans comes on. We play for a long time, with Bella and I kicking ass. I hardly notice when Sue, Emily, and Sam walk in. It registers when I smell the fry bread. My mouth is watering and I realize that I haven't eaten properly today. Well, properly for a wolf, anyhow. I get up to refill Bella's water, and see that they are making one of her favorites: Beef stew and rice, and adding the fry bread that she loved so much last time Emily made it. These women are miracle workers.

"Guys, it smells AMAZING in here. I'm going to need to take a vape break. Jake, you wanna take me outside?" Bella asks me.

"Sure thing, babe," I answer, walking over and scooping her up. Going outside isn't needed with the vape, but she feels uncomfortable doing it in front of her Dad. I get it. Paul and Leah follow us out, walking to the garage.

"If the Chief of Police wasn't here, I'd join you!" Paul tells Bella. "It helps calm me down. I'm a bit high-strung, I've been told," he chuckles.

"You could say that," I laugh. We sit there, laughing and talking, while Bella waits for the affects to take place. When she says she feels like she could eat, I pick her back up and we head inside.

"Good! I was about to come get you," Sam said. "Dinner is done."

"I have enough time to eat and then I'll need to get to the hospital. I hate that they are making me stay overnight, but I guess that's protocol for brain surgery," Bella sighs. I take her to her 'spot' at the table and put her back in her chair.

We dig in, and I can tell by the sounds that Bella is making that she is thoroughly enjoying this meal. It is amazing. Definitely the best beef stew I've had since Mom.

"OH MY GOD," Bella says, mouth full. "This is so good. Just SO good. You'll need to give me the recipe!"

"It's actually Sarah's, just like the fry bread," Emily says with a smile. My heart nearly exploded at that, and I swear I could feel Mom right next to me.

When we get done eating, it's almost time for Bella to be at the hospital for the night. Charlie gets ready while I bundle up my girl, taking off her head scarf and slipping her knit hat on. The ride is shorter than I want it to be. I'm not ready, but we arrive at the hospital ten minutes before her check in. Charlie grabs her bag, and I carry Bella to the entrance, where they provide a wheelchair for us to push her in.

"Well, I hope I can sleep. Hospitals always skeeve me out," chuckles a nervous Bella. I smile at her reassuringly.

"If you can't sleep, I'll get a nurse to come knock you out. Deal?" I kiss the top of her head, pushing down the impulse to smell her hair like I always have. It makes her sad.

"If you can convince them! They told me there will be no sedation until it's go time."

Charlie is silent. He's walking like a statue, just following along, holding Bella's hand. Every time I catch his eye, he looks like he's going to cry. He's a tough guy, but Bella holds a soft spot in his heart that nothing else can touch. We arrive at the neurosurgery front desk, and a nurse greets us, smiling with her lips, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She must have seen some shit today.

"We're allowed to go back with her, right?" Charlie asks, breaking his silence.

"Yes, you can both go back for a little while. Only one of you can stay the night, though, and you will be asked to leave the room once she goes into surgery in the morning. You will sit in the waiting area with any other friends or family members that want to come and sit," the nurse relays the information like she's done this a thousand times. I look down at her name tag. Nurse Grimes.

"It's ok, Charlie. You can stay," I assure him, when he looks torn. "I'll come back in the morning. You're her Dad."

"Nah, Jake. I think Bella might need you. I'm not going home, though. I'll sleep out in the lobby when they kick me out of her room."

Once they get her settled in, her IV plugged into her arm and everything ready for the night, they tell Charlie that it's time to go. He bends down and kisses her cheek, hugging her tight. I get a little emotional myself, thinking how much I miss my Mom. And how not once since she had the fight with Renee, has Bella mentioned her at all. I've talked to Alice about it, and Charlie is keeping Renee up to date, but he can't stand her, either.

"See you later, kiddo," Charlie sighs, and walks out of her room.

"Lights out!" Nurse Grimes tells us. "You really need your rest. We prep you for surgery at 5 AM."

I slip Bella's headphones over her ears and hit play on my special playlist I made for tonight. I watch her lips sing the words without sound.

Like a small boat  
On the ocean  
Sending big waves  
Into motion...

Sitting in this lobby with all of her friends and family, I'm worried. Honestly just really worried. Alice is chewing her fingernails. What an odd, human thing to do. Jasper has his hand on her, and I can feel his power working on the whole group. Almost the entire pack is here, plus the Cullens. Somehow, Renee even made it. She walked in at 6 AM, looking scared. I automatically forgive her, because I miss my Mom so much that I can't bear to be terrible to her. Edward has to be put by himself after a while, because he is reading all of the surgeon's minds and it's driving us all crazy. His eyes keep scanning back and forth, and he looks even creepier than normal. Carlisle orders pizza for us starving folks at 10. Shortly after, Dr. Mallier comes out of the doors leading to surgery. His face is not smiling.


	20. Chapter 20: Viva La Vida

Chapter 20: Viva La Vida

 **A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been so long, guys! I know I said every week, and it's been nearly 3 weeks. I've had a lot going on. Anyway, the story is coming to the climax soon. I hope you like it!**

Jacob's POV

Dr. Mallier has his hands clasped in front of him as he's walking toward us. We all jump up, half-running for any information about Bella. Edward is at the back of the crowd, silent, his eyes off in the distance. He already knows what is going on.

"Hi guys. Bella is out of surgery. We had some complications. We lost her for two minutes. Her blood pressure bottomed out and her heart stopped. It didn't take us long to get her back, but with the brain being the reason for the surgery, we won't know how things will be until she wakes up. I did remove all of the tumor, and I am certain that she will have retained her sight. She had a bleed nearby, in the part of the brain that controls speech. We are expectant that she may have some trouble with talking when she comes to. If the problem persists, she may have to go to therapy to regain her ability. She will be in the hospital for recovery at least five days, maybe more," he pauses, waiting to make sure we've all absorbed everything he said. "Likely, she will still be on the ventilator when you see her, so please prepare yourself to see a lot of tubes. It can be overwhelming for a lot of people. I need to get back to check on her. A nurse will be out to let you in to see her, two at a time, when she is completely stable."

As he turns around to walk away, there is a collective sigh from the group. Everyone is turning to sit when I think of Alice, and how she knows everything. Her face is passive, a trait that she must have garnered after years of knowing things she shouldn't. I look at Edward, who, in his manic state, can't hide the look on his face. He looks sad, but there is something else there in his eyes. I can't place what it is, but it looks like it could be hope.

After sitting here for an hour, a nurse is finally walking towards us. During the wait, we all agreed that Charlie and I would be the first to go in to see Bella. We get up quickly, walking toward the door before she can even get to us. We follow her down the halls, the smell of bleach and sterility assaulting my sensitive nose. I can see her now, through the glass walls her room is made of. Charlie takes in a deep breath, noticing the tubes still attached to her. She's still not awake, but we didn't really expect her to be. I sit down in one of the chairs that are beside her bed, grabbing her hand and squeezing it slightly. I can barely smell her in here.

"Gosh, she is so beautiful when she's sleeping, isn't she? Her face is so relaxed. So peaceful," Charlie whispers, and then starts sobbing. I don't say anything, because he's a man, and a tough one at that. I let him have his moment. She's asleep so he can't upset her, anyway.

We sit there like that for a little while, and then I decide to leave so that Renee can come in to see her. I walk out, and nod at her, raising my chin and putting on a brave face.

"She's still asleep. There are a lot of tubes, and of course her head is wrapped in gauze. Charlie is really tore up about all of this. If you can be tough, it might make him feel a little better. If you need to cry, that's fine, too. Just be gentle with Charlie. I can't have you guys arguing in there," I say protectively. Bella has had to deal with that enough in her life.

"Fine. You got it, Chief Jacob," Renee responds bitingly to my comment, saluting me mockingly. She must be pretty pissed about all of this, still. I roll my eyes and sit down. I have Bella's phone, and I put on her headphones, and turn on her playlist. Tiny Dancer starts playing, and I turn it up, leaning back in my chair to relax.

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band  
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man  
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand  
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

I've been awake all night, watching her breathe, worrying too much that last night would be the last night... I start to doze off, and then the smell of bloodsucker overwhelms me. I open my eyes, and Edward is sitting right next to me.

"Can I help you?" I ask with an abundance of snark.

"You can, thank you. We haven't really determined who would go in to see Bella next. Since you've put yourself in charge of everything concerning her, I thought I would come tell you that I will be going in next, by myself," he states nonchalantly. I laugh. Hard. This guy... He's joking, right?

"Haha! Yeah, no. That won't be happening."

"And why the fuck not? We've spent a lot of time alone together, and I've never hurt her. I would never. She's the reason for my existence. No reason to lie about it. I'm sure you've figured it out."

"No. She is MY reason for existence. I'm not sure WHY you exist, but it's damn sure not for Isabella Swan. I'm feeling pretty fucking generous today, so I will tell you what. After Leah and Alice visit with her, her BEST FRIENDS, I will go in with you to see her so that you can say whatever you want to say while she is asleep. You won't be talking to her after that. Do you understand me, Cullen?" I spit. Everyone is staring at us, but I don't give a shit.

"You can't keep me from her, if she wants to see me, Jacob. She won't allow it. She's stronger than you give her credit for. And now, everything is going to change."

"Nothing is changing, Edward. But I'll let you say your piece."

I put the headphones back on, and How Deep is Your Love by the Bee Gees is playing. In the middle of the song, I catch a few of the lyrics before falling asleep.

How deep is your love, how deep is your love  
How deep is your love?  
I really mean to learn  
'Cause we're living in a world of fools  
Breaking us down when they all should let us be  
We belong to you and me

"Jake, wake up," I hear a feminine voice say, and I'm being shaken. I open my eyes and hear the final strains of a Blondie song drifting up from the headphones that have been pulled from my ears.

"I'm up. I'm awake," I assure Leah. I look over and see Edward waiting impatiently next to the doors that lead back to the ICU recovery rooms.

"He's been chomping at the bit for the last fifteen minutes. Is he always this strange?" Renee asks. I look at her and have to remind myself that she knows nothing of what has transpired. She knows nothing about wolves, leeches, and the horrible newborn army awaiting us.

"Yes. He is," Charlie answers for me.

I hop up, and walk briskly over to my least favorite vampire in the room. The nurse buzzes the door so we can go through, and I can tell that Edward is having to fight himself to walk at a normal human pace. I keep up with him easily, but we outstrip the other people walking in the hall by quite a bit. Edward is leading, and I let him. I'm sure he's following her scent.

We get to her room and sit down. I grab her hand and Edward grabs her other hand. I fight myself not to growl at him.

"Hey. I need you to let her go. Don't make me make a scene in here, because I will."

"Jacob, she will make her own decisions, no matter who is holding her hand. She is very important to me. I need to be able to convey that. Let me say my piece. If she stays with you, I won't try to take her with force. I'd rather do this alone. Can you leave the room?"

"Nope."

"Suit yourself," Edward warns me, then turns to Bella. "Isabella, my love, please wake up. I have to tell you something." He pauses, sighs, then begins again. I roll my eyes, already frustrated with him. "Ok, I guess this will be my only chance to say this. I'm sorry. Leaving you here to your own devices was wrong, and not only that, it was dangerous. I knew that there were wolves about. I didn't know that any other vampires would be coming back for you, but I should have thought about that. This whole situation is my fault. I've heard Mike Newton's thoughts... I've seen inside Jacob's mind. I know that I will not be your first, like you wanted, but... I love you."

I could see Bella's eyelids fluttering this whole time, but Edward's eyes were closed with feeling, so he didn't notice until her eyes slammed open and she placed her hand on his chest.

Edward's POV

My mouth spews forth all of the things I've been thinking of for weeks. My eyes are closed, and I'm saying all of this almost like a prayer. I feel that maybe, if I say it like this, it might break the barrier of her sleep and somehow get through to her.

I feel a hand on my chest, and open my eyes. Bella is looking at me, and I'm elated. Her eyes are open, she is looking at ME. The ventilator gets in the way of what must be a smile. Her eyes look confused for a second, then, angry. An invisible force slams into me then, and my vision goes black.

 _I look around and see that I'm standing at a bridge. I recognize it as the one that spans the two hiking posts up in the mountains that we sometimes stay at when there is nice weather here. I look up and see Bella there, grimacing at me._

" _I don't want this from you, Edward."_

" _Where are we? How did we get here?" I ask, actually really worried right now._

" _Looks like we're at the bridge in the mountains, Edward. I'm not sure how we got here. I heard what you were saying and thought, 'I wish I could push him off a bridge right now' and here we are." Ouch. That hurts. "I feel like maybe we aren't here, though? Maybe I'm hallucinating, or dreaming this whole thing. Maybe you aren't even in my room."_

" _Oh, I was most definitely there a few minutes ago. Bella, can you get us back? It takes a lot to scare me, but I'm thinking that this isn't good. I can't feel anything from where I was. This doesn't have the feeling of reality, so maybe you're somehow affecting my mind. But, how can that happen? I'm a vampire, you are a human..."_

" _Oh shit. I don't know how to get out of this. What the hell am I supposed to do?!" she whines softly._

 _I can see on her face that panic is setting in. I dash over to her quickly, cupping her face in my hand. She digs her nails into my arm and it burns. She throws my arm down like I don't have the strength of a vampire. I look down to see a trail of scratches on my wrist, with little beads of blood standing on my skin._

" _What the hell? Bella, I need you to focus. I need you to think about how you got us here. Can you do that? Just imagine your way back to your room, maybe."_

 _Her head snaps up to the sky, hearing something I cannot. All of a sudden, I feel a pull in my chest, and I'm no longer standing on the bridge._

Jacob's POV

Bella's eyes snap open, she puts her hand on Edward's chest, he flies backward and she goes limp. I have no fucking clue what just happened, but I am thoroughly freaked out.

"Bella? Bella!" I pat her arm as hard as I can without really jostling her. I don't want to cause her head to move at all, but I'm scared. I don't want to alert the nurse because I can sense that she is still here somehow, tied to me. "Bella, please wake up!" I hiss through my teeth, then look over at Edward, slumped in the corner, knocked out cold. She knocked out a vampire. I didn't even think that was possible. I sit there for a minute, head in my hands, listening to her heartbeat start to quicken. Edward moves suddenly, scowling and grabbing his arm, where three scratch marks appear on his wrist.

"Bella, please, come back to me," I whisper in her ear. Her eyes suddenly open, and she is looking at me with wild eyes, scared as I have ever seen her. Edward jumps up out of the corner and starts inspecting his arm.

"Holy shit! Did we disappear? Were we still here? Please tell me what you just saw!" he almost yelled at me.

"You guys were still here. What the hell happened? I need to call a nurse in soon. Look at Bella. She's fighting the ventilator." His eyes follow mine, and Bella is trying to choke out the tube. I'm holding her hands because she is reaching for it. I'm scared she will rip it out.

"She woke up, put her hand on my chest, and we were somehow at the bridge in the mountains. You know, the one that spans between the two lodges up there? She told me that when she woke up, she wanted to throw me off a bridge, and we ended up there." Edward looks really disturbed at the thought of Bella wanting to hurt or even kill him. He chuckles, then, and rubs his arm where the scratches are. "Leave it to her to find out how to actually hurt a vampire."

"I'm going to call the nurse in. It's going to be ok," I tell Bella, then flick the nurse call switch on the wall. Within seconds, her nurse runs in the room.

"Oh, she's awake and fighting the tube! I'll get Dr. Mallier. I just saw him in the hall," Nurse Grimes conveys. She runs out again, and I start stroking Bella's arm, trying to calm her. About a minute later, Dr. Mallier walks through the door.

"So we're awake, huh? Alright Bella, I need you to calm down. I am going to do a small examination, ok? Just stay still." Dr. Mallier pulls out a tiny flashlight and looks in her eyes, and pulls a layer of gauze off of her head. "Huh. Well you don't have much bleeding here, that's good. We're going to try to take you off the vent really quick. If you tolerate it, we'll just put you on slow flow oxygen, ok? This is going to feel uncomfortable, and you are going to cough a lot, so be ready. Guys, I need you to step outside the door, please."

I get up, and grab Edward's arm to pull him with me. The walls are glass, so we see in while the doctor stands at the head of her bed and the nurse beside her. The nurse pulls a needle out of the cabinet nearby, and pulls a vial out of her pocket, pulling the liquid into the syringe. She sets it down on the table next to her, and then nods at Dr. Mallier. He starts untaping the tube from her face, careful to pull slowly. Before I know it, the tube is out of her mouth, and she's coughing. He was right, it's a lot. She can't seem to catch her breath, and I'm scared for a minute. Slowly but surely, the coughing stops. She calms down, and starts taking deep breaths.

"Don't try to talk yet, Bella. Your throat is going to be very sore. I'm going to give you a few minutes to acclimate to breathing on your own, then I will explain what happened in surgery. I'll be right back. Guys, you can come back in," he says, and we walk back in after he walks out.

"So are you her brother?" Nurse Grimes asks, looking at Edward. He barks out a short laugh.

"No. Ex-boyfriend."

"Oh. Well. We're all just one big happy family in here, huh?" she teases, looking slightly uncomfortable at his admission. I laugh, too. We wait in silence until Dr. Mallier comes back in, and tells the nurse she can leave to check on the patient in ICU room 4.

"Ok, boys. When she woke up, how was she? Did she seem confused at all?" he asks, looking at us pointedly.

"Yes, actually, there was a crazy thing that happened-" Edward started, then I had to interrupt him before he said anything more.

"Yo Eddie boy, she was fine. She was just really confused. Surgery does that to people." I give him a death glare.

"Jacob, Dr. Mallier is highly trusted. He knows about my family, your family... He knows everything."

"I'm a Warlock, Jacob. This profession was a must, so that I could help people like you guys. Please, let me do my job. What happened, Edward?" the Doctor asked again. I sat back in my seat and waited for Edward to begin.

"She woke up, and when she put her hand on me, we went to another plane of existence. Our bodies stayed here. She scratched me while we were there. Look." Edward holds up his arm and Dr. Mallier gasps. The scratch has started healing, but his skin is still torn. It is healing much slower than it should, and instead of it breaking like granite, it looks like a real flesh wound. "I've suspected for some time that she has supernatural abilities. I can't read her mind. She's the only person I've ever met that I couldn't. Her father's thoughts are cloudy, not as clear as most people's. I took the opportunity to look into her ancestry while we were away. She's the great granddaughter of a psychic, Matilda Presley. It seems as though she has inherited her abilities."

 **So what did you think? Do you like the plot twist? Is it too much? Tell me how you feel! Thank you for all of the comments, Follows, and favorites! You guys are awesome!**


	21. Chapter 21: Trouble

Chapter 21: Trouble

 **A/N: Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments. I am so glad that this story is being well received. I have been so nervous to introduce these new elements, not sure how they would be taken. I hope that you guys are still hanging on. This chapter gets a little hot :)**

 **Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all of the characters within. I'm playing with them. No copyright infringement intended.**

Jacob's POV

"And why are you just now saying something about this? You've been around for weeks! You didn't think this was important information to tell us?" I yell at Edward, making my anger at him very clear. "Fucking idiot. You just wanted to keep this to yourself for the big reveal, huh? What an asshole."

"Really, Jacob. Alice saw several future outcomes for this surgery. Most of them did not include the unwinding of her 'Third Eye', as they call it. I didn't know if this would be our reality or not. The likely outcome was that she would come out of this as the same Bella that went in. There were a few other, more undesirable outcomes, but this is one of two for the talent appearing. We shall see soon, which it is."

"Well this is really something. I'm going to need to unwrap your head completely, Bella, to make sure that you didn't sustain any injuries on the Astral Plane. Do you understand?" Dr Mallier asks her, looking her in the eyes. She looks confused and scared. We are talking about her like she isn't here. She has no idea what is going on. He starts to remove the bandages on her head, unwinding them slowly and discarding them in the biohazard basket next to him. He gets down to the gauze pads that are the only bit left on her head, and lifts them.

"Is everything ok, Doc?" I ask, standing to lean over their way. Edward gasps, still sitting. He must be reading his mind. "What is going on?"

"Her skin is already knitting together. She is healing very quickly. Much quicker than any normal human should. But she wasn't like this when I closed her up. I haven't a clue how this is happening."

"I do. The Astral Plane heals her. It's her home. That's how she can harm me there. That plane of existence is not for our kind. There are few who can roam there. Taha Aki and the rest of the Spirit Warriors traveled this very same plane. How she can bring someone with her... I'm not sure about that. I've never heard of it happening before," Edward informed us.

"Holy shit." I look at Bella now, who looks weak and strong at the same time. She looks so scared, that I have to say something to her. "Bells. Are you ok? Are you understanding what is going on here? I'm so sorry that this is so confusing and scary right now. This must feel like so much to take in, after the surgery." Her eyebrows shoot up at the mention of surgery, and I forgot that we haven't even talked with her about how she did in surgery at all. "Surgery went well. They got all of the tumor, love. You did die on the table and they had to bring you back. Which is what I'm guessing brought about this change in you. Does your research match my theory, Edward?"

"It does. A traumatic or near death experience has been known to bring out psychic powers in those predestined to have them. It also explains why you Imprinted on her, Jacob. Imprinting is basically your wolf finding the best person to reproduce with, to have the strongest offspring. You and Bella will have very strong pups, indeed," Edward admitted.

"Will? Are you saying you are giving up, Eddie boy?"

"Oh, yes. I don't want her to do that to me again. Pissing her off seems like a bad idea, and I got the hint the first time. I'll just have to lick my wounds. Ha. Get it?"

"Ha ha. Good one," I reply sarcastically, trying not to actually chuckle at him. He hears this from me and raises an eyebrow. I hear a sharp slapping sound and look over to see Bella clapping her hands. When she gets my attention, she uses her hand to signify that she wants to write. "Coming right up."

"Hmmm... I wonder if it would be ok for you to try to talk, since you have healed a lot of the way, maybe your throat might not be so bad?" Dr. Mallier suggests.

She quickly shakes her head, and makes the movement that she needs to write again. I hand her the notepad and pen from her bedside table, and see her clumsily scrawl 'MUSIC' on it.

Bella's POV

This is fucking insane! I need to get out of here, but I obviously can't. I think of my only means of escape, and ask for something to write on. 'MUSIC' is what I write, and show it to Jacob, tapping the notebook twice. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out my phone, and the headphones that fold up to fit easily anywhere. He slips them over my head and hands me the phone. I thumb through my playlist, stopping right where I need it.

Oh no, I see  
A spider web is tangled up with me  
And I lost my head  
And thought of all the stupid things I'd said

Oh no, what's this?  
A spider web and I'm caught in the middle  
So I turned to run  
And thought of all the stupid things I'd done

I slowly tune out the men in the room talking about, and not to me. I tried to speak when they weren't looking. I tried. It's like my throat wouldn't work. I spoke just fine in the Astral Plane. The fucking ASTRAL PLANE. I don't understand what's going on. I've never heard of this Great Grandmother of mine. As much as I hate him, especially right now, I trust Edward's research. I know that he's right. The most I've ever heard about anything like this was when Jake tried to explain to me about how they started phasing- The Spirit Walkers. I'm going to have to talk to Charlie about this, ask him if he remembers his grandma at all.

I'm trying to be lost in thought, listening to music. I'm trying to relax, because I don't want to freak out and for them to have to sedate me. I feel a hand in mine. Before I open my eyes, I can feel the extreme heat, and know that it's Jake. I look over at him, wishing for all of the world that he could pull me onto his lap and hold me. I need it so badly. What the Doctor said about me being a lot more healed than I should be... Well, I felt it. When I was in the other dimension, I could feel myself kind of... knitting together, I guess. I felt better and better the longer I was there. Now, I have grown accustomed to finding out some weird information, but this is fucked up.

I let my mind wander to Jacob, about how much I love him and what I would give for a really good lay right now. I know THAT would help me relax. All of a sudden, I feel Jake jerk really hard and yell.

Jacob's POV

 _I'm in my room, Bella kneeling on the ground in front of me, my dick in her mouth. I honestly have no idea how in the hell I got here, but I'm above asking at the moment. Bella looks up at me, seemingly a little shocked, herself, but she keeps going. I grab the hair on the back of her head that has miraculously reappeared._

" _Does that feel good?" she asks me, and I groan in appreciation._

" _Fuck, yes. You are amazing, Bells. Keep doing the thing with your hand," I instruct._

" _Like this?"_

" _No, I changed my mind. Go to the bed and bend over."_

 _She gets up and walks over to the bed, and I watch her ass shake with each step. It's not big, but it is fantastic. I follow her, pulling her panties down as she climbs onto the bed. I get them off of her feet and toss them, licking my fingers and making sure that she is ready for me to fuck her. My fingers glide around the outside of her slit, then slide right inside her. She's ready, alright._

 _I bend my knees a bit and push myself into her wet cunt. We both gasp. I lift her hips with my hands and straighten my legs. She weighs next to nothing- I could do this all day. Well, I could if it were just my arms involved. We haven't had sex in so long, that this isn't going to take but a little bit to finish me off. I decide I don't want it to be over, and flip her over onto her back._

 _Kneeling down now, I lower my mouth to her vagina, swiping my tongue up once. I look up to her face to gauge her reaction. The look she is making right now... I love that look. I live for that look. I bury my face again, giving her clit the royal treatment. I use every trick I know, making her writhe rhythmically to keep up. I slip my fingers inside and her legs fall all the way to the sides-my cue that what I'm doing is working the way it should._

 _My hand finds a steady stroke, fingers moving in and out while I lick and suck at her. Her breathing is getting heavier, so I go harder, faster. She's getting pretty vocal now, and when she tightens around my fingers and screams my name, my cock throbs._

 _As soon as she's done, I jump up onto the bed with her and turn her the right way, easing my way into her tightness. It's hard to get in once she's came, but that can be a good thing. I moan, pushing the rest of the way in, and I can tell she's in her post-orgasm fog._

" _Are you good?" I ask._

" _Yes, yes! Please, don't stop. Keep going, Jake!"_

 _I bend down and kiss her then, and start setting a pace that we can both keep up with. It doesn't take long before I can feel the slow burn coming, and I try my best to keep it at bay. My body isn't responding to my demands, and I have to let Bella know that it's time._

" _I'm about to cum!" I moan, and Bella immediately climbs out from under me, wrapping her lips around my shaft. Her hand starts pumping up and down, and her mouth moves with it, making me delirious with the feel of it. I shatter into a million pieces, almost an out of body experience. Then I realize that I AM out of my body. "Oh, holy shit. Bells, how do you get us home?"_

" _Um, I'll work on it in a minute. Can you just... Hold me for a minute? Kiss me. Tell me you love me. I really need you right now, and I can't leave my hospital bed," she whispers in a sad voice._

" _Sure, sure. No problem, babe. But, while we do that, can you think about it?" She smiles at me then, winking. What the hell does that even mean? I chuckle, lean down and kiss her, then pull her into my arms on the bed._

Edward's POV

And just like that, Jacob jerked, yelled loudly, and slumped over. Bella's eyes went dark, wide open, head relaxing to the side. I've never seen anything like this. Dr. Mallier is standing there, slack-jawed. I'm not sure what to do, but wait. Dr. Mallier starts moving toward them then, and brings out his little flashlight again. He shines it in Bella's eyes, thinking about her eye being all pupil. Checks her pulse, reflexes... Everything seems good. But she's limp. Gone. He rushes over to Jacob then, doing the same exam on him that he did on Bella. Jacob's eyes are closed, so he uses his thumb to hold open his eyelids, and he thinks that his pupils are responsive. Everything seems good with him, too.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking at, here," he says. As soon as it leaves his mouth, Bella and Jake both start making... noises. I don't know how else to describe them, than that they sound like muted sex noises.

"Dear God," I mutter, and seriously sit here thinking about staying to see what happens when they cum. My better judgment appears, and I pick myself up and walk out of the room. "Dr. Mallier, are you coming with me?" I ask, using a bit of a forceful tone. I don't want him to think that he has a choice here. He starts walking toward me, casting furtive glances back in the room as we walk down the hall.

Jacob's POV

When we get back in the room, we are the only two there. I have an idea why they left, considering I saw Edward's reaction to Bella scratching him in the Astral Plane. I'd wager that they saw our reactions here, too. I didn't even consider it in the moment. I look over at Bella, who looks so serene. She's smiling at me, and reaches over to squeeze my hand.

"You ok?" I ask her. She nods her head yes. Fuck. I should have asked her about the talking while we were there. "I'd better go find Edward and Dr. Mallier to see if they learned anything about your... episodes... while we were gone. I'll be right back." I walk out into the hallway, and to the waiting area outside of the recovery rooms. There sits Edward.

"Are you done?" he asks me snarkily.

"Why yes, we are BOTH done, thank you," I smile. He snorts. He seems to have gained a sense of humor about this. "Did Dr. Mallier observe anything while we were gone?"

"Well, yes, we both observed some rather disturbing things," he chuckles. "I can't read either of your minds while you are in the astral plane, so nothing has changed about Bella, but it seems as though when she pulls someone in, her mental shield covers them, as well. I find that fascinating. Dr Mallier did do some small exams on you two when you were Walking. Bella's eyes become all pupil, though yours stay responsive to stimuli. Both of your heart rates were normal, though he didn't check them again after the noises started..." Edward looks uncomfortable, and now it's my turn to laugh.

"Well, I haven't been able to touch her like that in a while. You can understand why she might yank me into an alternate dimension and take advantage of me, right?" It's really hard for me to keep a straight face right now. All of a sudden, Alice rushes into the waiting area.

"Guys. Tomorrow. It's happening tomorrow. Victoria and the Newborn Army are coming."

"What do you mean? I thought we had more time? Dammit, Jacob, you distracted me! I was so preoccupied with you and Bella shit, that I wasn't paying attention. Alice, look at me. Slow down your thoughts," Edward tries to calm her.

"What the fuck is going on? Someone tell me something!" I yell, but my words fall on deaf ears. No one is listening to me.

"Ok, we need to get our shit together. We're going to have to smuggle Bella out of the hospital. Thankfully, we have the Doctor on our side, and Carlisle and Sue can help care for her at your house.. There are just so many variables at play here, that we can't know for sure what exactly will happen. We just can't leave her in the hospital for any of them to track here," Edward explains. "They will be coming sometime tomorrow during the evening. Hopefully we'll be able to successfully head them off before they hit your village."

"I'm going to go check on Bella and let her know what's going on," I huff out with exasperation. I walk back to her room, preparing myself for her reaction with the little time I have. When I walk in though, her eyes are wide open and black, blood trickling from her nose. Fuck.

Bella's POV

Now that I've figured out some of the mechanics of my new gift, I decide to take it for a joy ride. I try my best to make my body feel that same tingly feeling I had the other times I went Home, concentrating hard. I squint my eyes, pushing hard against the barrier I found to be flexible in my mind. I feel it give a small pop, and find myself in the Astral Plane.

I reach up, fingering the large scar that has now formed on the side of my head. All healed up, I see. Here, I look around and notice that everything is kinda purplish, coated in shadows. It's blurry, but not to the point that it messes with your vision. Soft, almost. I'm standing in front of something that looks like a small castle fort that's drenched in purple fuzzy ivy. Before walking in, I instinctively pull my hands in front of me like a prayer, and dragging them apart, I cup them, forming a sparkling ball. It crackles in my palms, and I know for sure that it will do some serious damage. I stare at it in amazement, astonished that I can do something like this. I throw it at a nearby tree, and it shatters into a million fuzzy pieces, like blowing a dandelion in the wind.

Feeling comfortable now, I walk through the door of the fort, looking inside and around as far as I can see. There is furniture here, sparsely decorating this room. There are two other rooms. One has a bed and a large old style looking glass mirror. The other is a library, filled with books, and what looks like a chemistry set. There is a large collection of glassware here that would make Walter White jealous. On a table off to the side is a very large, leather bound book, and a smaller one beside it. I open the big book to somewhere in the middle, and thumb through the pages. It seems to be a recipe book of sorts, but not for food. I'd guess it has something to do with a cabinet next to it, that has labeled jars with things like 'Toad's Tongue' in it. Yuck. I close it and pick up the smaller book, now.

The first page inside says 'Matilda Presley, Psychic Extraordinaire' and a date, 1885. I flip through the pages, and find that she's funny. Quirky is a good word. She finds humor in her situation, even though it is dangerous to live the life that she did. She couldn't help it, just like I can't. I run across this passage and take pause:

 _When first I began this journey, I found time to pass at the same speed in the Aether as the real world. I would spend days here, learning new things, brewing new potions, and come back to find that I was starving, had wet myself, and was in desperate need of a bath._

 _I invented a clock that I put on my nightstand next to the bed, that I can turn back any time I need. It turns back time in the real world so that the naturally occurring consequences do not happen. Sometimes I stay here for weeks, just turning back the clock. I could stay here forever, but I know there are things I must do in my worldly home, namely interacting with the wolves that live nearby. I've taken one in, and called him Swift. He was the smallest of the pack, but now he has grown to an enormous size. I can't let him sleep in the bed with me anymore. He's twice the size of a man! He watches me with such intelligent eyes..._

Wolves? It figures.

 **So, what do you think? Do you like how it is filling out? I'm trying to do something different, and I hope it pays off! Only a couple more chapters to go, you guys! Thank you for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! Tell your friends to read :) Love, lucybell 3**


	22. Chapter 22: Don't Stop Believin'

Chapter 22: Don't Stop Believin'

 **My lovely, loyal readers: I am sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I have been having some serious health issues that have made me so tired. I'm required to take medication now that also adds to me exhaustion. It took me weeks to write this chapter. I am getting started on the next one. The end is coming soon! I hope that you like it!**

Jacob's POV

I stand there looking at her. I know that this is probably something that's going to happen when she goes Walking. She's no Spirit Warrior, and the Astral Plane may be her home, but her body is human. I grab a tissue and wipe her nose, then sit down and take her hand. We don't have a lot of time, but I want her to get as much time as she can in there, so that she can heal up properly before we take her home.

I had forgotten Edward was with me, but he's as calm as I am, surprisingly. He sighs heavily, a big human gesture, and takes a seat. His elbows are on his knees that are spread far apart, head in his hands. Edward is a creature of habit. This must have been how he dealt with stress when he was alive.

"I figured you would be freaking out right now," I almost whisper. I'm pretty sure it was my voice that brought her back the first time.

"Well, I was going to. But you are right. This is probably something that is just going to happen. She needs the time there. I wish I could read her mind. See what she sees. It's so easy with everyone else. I don't even have to TRY with YOU. You just shout everything. Bella can't even speak now. I'm not sure what to do, or how to handle this."

"We'll figure it out. I need to make some phone calls. When I'm done, I'll try to wake her up. I'm sure you'll want to talk to your family, too." I drum my fingers on the bed, waiting for a response that he doesn't give. I get up and walk out of the room, going to the closest bathroom. I pull out Bella's phone. Sam is the first on the list of people who have already left that I need to call.

"Sam. It's happening tomorrow. We have to have a meeting tonight."

"Thanks, Jacob. I'll double patrol, we'll have to make sure they are rotated more often than normal so they stay fresh and rested. We can't have any tired wolves fighting tomorrow. Are you bringing Bella home tonight?" Sam inquires.

"Yes, I have to. I can't leave her here."

"Do you need help getting her here?"

"Nah. I'm pretty sure that Cullen will help with that. I'll see you in 2 hours. If I can't make it by then, I'll call." I hang up, then call Charlie, who had an emergency at the station and had to leave about half an hour ago.

"Hey Chief. It's going down tomorrow. We'll be getting with everyone in about 2 hours if you can make it to Sam's."

"Jake... Are you sure that you guys can do this? I'm just... Really, really worried about Bella," he sounds scared, and sad.

"I don't think you should worry, Charlie. We'll take care of it," I tell him, and honestly, I'm less worried about Bella by the second. Something tells me that she can take care of herself. I hang up, then call Dad and tell him the same thing. I'm sure that Sam is rounding everyone else up, being the Alpha has its own perks.

I head back to the room, and see that Edward must have already went and talked to his family, who were all still sitting out in the waiting room. He's sitting back in the same spot, leaning back now, and staring at Bella like she was an enigma he just couldn't crack. I decide to sit down and take a short nap. I slip Bella's headphones out of my pocket and put them on my ears, plugging them into the phone and turning her playlist on. I have to chuckle when the lyrics start. I turn it up full blast, ignoring the warning that her phone is giving me about damage to my eardrums.

Just a small town girl living in a lonely world  
She took the midnight train going anywhere  
Just a city boy born and raised in South Detroit  
He took the midnight train going anywhere

I can't sleep through this song. I stand up, jumping up and down to the beat. I can feel Edward staring at me now, but I don't give a shit. I let myself have the moment, breaking out my air guitar. I feel like kicking something over Rock Star style, but decide against it in the hospital room. I'm not a singer, so no sound comes from my mouth except a couple of 'oh yeahs', but my air guitar is sick. I prop one of my feet on the chair I was sitting in and do a spinning jump, landing in a crouched position. Edward is now playing piano in his mind, eyes closed and fingers moving. I never thought I'd see this day, when he is acting like a normal person. At the end of the song, I nod his way, and sit back in my chair. 'How to Save a Life' by The Fray comes on, and I lean back, turning the volume back down, and closing my eyes to sleep.

Bella's POV

Exploring this place is about as much fun as I've had for a long time. My body feels great. I don't feel nauseous, or even sick at all. I'm reading Matilda's journals for the better part of an hour, according to her clock. I'm debating whether I should turn back the hands when I hear faint strains of music coming from outside the house. I close the journal and put it down on the bed, and walk outside. Coming out the door, I hear the music a little louder, coming from the left. I recognize The Fray, one of my favorite modern bands.

I wander through the woods there, weaving around trees and bushes, working my way through underbrush that keeps getting caught in my sneaker laces. I come into a clearing then, a meadow that is recognizable as Edward's. No longer ours. The only difference is a small pond, directly in the middle. It has those purple fuzzy flowering plants around it, and I clear some so that I can look inside. The music is definitely coming from the water. I bend down, looking into the placid surface. I see Jacob's face, resting peacefully, with my headphones on. I am filled with such love and longing, that I reach down and run my fingers through the water where the russet skin of his jaw is. Only, I actually feel his skin, instead of water. He shivers a little at my touch.

I hear something coming toward me, so I stand up and make a plasma ball, ready to defend myself at an second. I look around, searching for the source of the noise. A few feet away, I see a wolf. A large one, who has his tail tucked between his legs and head bowed down in my direction. I'm not sure how to dismiss the plasma ball without actually hurling it at something, so I throw it off to the side and see a tree burst in the wind. I easily start walking toward him, making no quick movements. He stays still, head still bowed, watching me.

I reach him, and ease my hand out toward his muzzle, letting him sniff me. He uses his nose to throw my hand up on top of his head, and I laugh out loud. This has to be Swift. I smile to myself, then I wonder how in the world he could have survived here for this long. There must be something here for him to eat.

 _"There is. Little woodland creatures that come back by morning. They almost see it as something fun to do, since I've learned to kill them quickly."_

Holy shit. He's talking into my head. This is not something I expected. I guess I didn't get far enough in the journals to reach the point where this happened.

"Sooooo... Swift, huh? Is that your real name? Or did you just adopt it, since Matilda gave it to you?" I know I sound awkward as hell, but, really, he's a wolf.

 _"You may call me Swift if that is what you prefer. Matilda did eventually find my true name, after enchanting me with the ability to Mind Meld, which is what we are doing now. But that didn't happen for many years, so I have grown fond of my nickname."_ A huff comes from his mouth, almost sounding like a chuckle. I shake my head in amazement, not believing the twist my life has taken.

"So what is your real name, then? If you don't mind me asking, of course," I rush out.

 _"Not at all. Kaba-Omik is what I was called as a human. My human body was so damaged that I couldn't take its form anymore, so I inhabit only my wolf form, now. It has been this way for almost two hundred years. Not counting the turning back of the clock, of course."_

"That's awesome! Do you have any idea how any of this works? I'm trying to figure everything out. I can make balls of electricity with my hands. It's crazy. I've found some of Matilda's journals, and I read about the clock. I've just come across this pond, and I'm wondering what it does."

 _"This is no ordinary pond, child. This is a scrying pond. You are able to see anyone you wish. Matilda used this to watch those in her home, since she left her home for here, often."_

"Whoever I want? Would I be able to see vampires as well?" I wonder aloud.

 _"It's hit or miss with them. Matilda could never figure out a way to make it happen every time. Though, to be fair, she wasn't associating with many vampires."_ He snuffles again, his body shaking with laughter. _"Do you have vampire friends?"_

"Some. Though it's not them that I want to try to see."

Edwards' POV

Leaving Bella in the Ethereal Plane is difficult. Seeing her laying there, blood dripping from her nose, it goes against my better sensibilities to leave it be. After the wolf falls asleep, I get up, pacing back and forth. Hair raises on the back of my neck as I see Alice's vision tumbling into my brain. This is going to work. We are going to make it happen. I run to the waiting area, where Alice is trying to explain her excitement to Jasper. His head is nodding as he keeps up with the stream of consciousness slipping from Alice's mouth.

"We're going to do this. I can't believe that this is going to work!" Jasper exclaims, hands gesturing wildly. Alice picks up her phone and starts making calls, her first to Leah. I'm guessing that she knows I'm too freaked out to actually make any calls right now, because she usually delegates that task to me. Soon after the phone call ends, I hear a howl. They are calling a meeting. Jacob sprints past me at half speed, still partially asleep. Even at half speed, no one else could keep up. If I didn't hate him so much, I'd say it was impressive.

Jacob's POV

I hear the call even in my sleep. I was dreaming of Bella touching my face, her whole self. Looking at me with so much love. The howl wakes me, stirring my animal instinct, and I feel my molecules push and pull like they do when I get ready to shift. The howl was an order. Appear, NOW. I push myself back together and run out of the room, past all of the Cullens in the waiting area. I'm lagging a little, since I haven't had much sleep. This must be important though, so once I get out of the doors of the hospital, I push a little until I get into the woods. I take off my shorts, roll them up, and put them on my ankle strap. I shift, feeling my bones pop and snap. This used to be painful. Now I accept it. I ride it out. Fighting it makes it harder, it hurts worse. I take pleasure in it. I let the waves roll through my body, flexing my muscles, curling my toes.

 _"Black! What took so long?" Sam asks forcefully._

 _"Seriously, Sam, it was 2 minutes. I'm at the hospital. I had to run out and into the woods. Just give me a little fucking time, man."_

 _"Listen. Alice just called Leah. Things are escalating. We've got an entirely new situation on our hands, one we haven't dealt with before. Tell us about how Bella is doing. What is going on in that hospital?"_

 _"Well..." I don't know how to start. The pack tends to get a little freaked out about things that are more powerful than us. But before I can stop it, I feel the thoughts rushing from my head, into the constant stream that bombards our minds. I hear/feel a collective growl. I wish that I could hold back some information, but the pack mind doesn't allow that. My brothers are shifting nervously, and Seth puts his tail between his legs, whining a little._

 _"How long have you known she could do these things?" Sam demands._

 _"I couldn't stop you from seeing everything that you just did. Do you think I can keep anything from you? If I could, you wouldn't have even seen what you did! Don't you think that if I didn't just find out, myself, that you would already know?" I think-scream._

 _"ENOUGH! We need to have a meeting with the Cullens so we can set up where we need to be when everything goes down. Seems we don't have much time. Jacob, shift back and tell them that we will meet at their house in the next half hour." My head bows under the order. From the tone he used, he wanted no more words from me._

I shift back and take the shorts from my cuff, unrolling them and putting them on hurriedly. I ignore the pops and cracks that my bones emit, knowing that it will stop once everything is properly in place. I run back into the hospital, seeing the whole Cullen family sitting in the waiting area. Edward is already telling everyone what is going on.

"I heard everything, Jacob. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, really, but it is easier this way, regardless. If we travel through the woods, we may have enough time to catch a quick bite before arriving. You guys ready?" Edward looks around at his family, gathering nods like a daisy chain. They all get up at once, looking even more inhuman than normal. Edward gives me a look, hearing my thoughts. "Slow down, please. We mustn't forget ourselves."

"I'll be there soon. I am going to check on Bella before I leave," I tell him, turning toward the door and waiting for the nurse to buzz me in. I get to the room and look at Bella, who is moving a little. Her hands are flexing, her mouth moving like she is talking to someone, but no words come out. All of a sudden, she lets out a huge gasp and her eyes open.

"Bells! Bells, can you see me? Can you hear me?" She rolls her eyes at me. Of course she can. I'm being dramatic. But with everything that is going on, how can I not be? I rush forward and plant my lips on hers, not caring that she just had surgery. I saw the healing. Her mouth moves against mine, and I stop myself from moving forward with it. No time. We have to find a way to get her out of this hospital and to the Cullen house.

 **So tell me, what do you think? I know this is kind of a filler chapter, the action is coming soon. Bear with me, you guys! Thank you for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! You guys are the best. 3 luckylucy**


	23. Chapter 23: Highway to Hell

Chapter 23: Highway to Hell

 **Hey guys! Thank you for being so so patient with me while I write these chapters for you. I know that it sucks waiting so long. My son's appendix burst and he spent weeks in the hospital, and my other kids have sports, life is cray-cray... I'm sorry that this took so long. I'm starting on the next chapter later today, hopefully I'll be able to post it soon! Love you all!**

Bella's POV

I decide to come out of the Astral Plane to update the boys on what I can do. It was actually Swift's idea. He warned me against using the clock to turn back time, as it can mess things up, cause them to be different. I don't want anything to change when I'm just figuring it out.

"Bells? Bells, can you see me? Can you hear me?" I wake up to Jake's face, asking me ridiculous questions. I roll my eyes. Of course I can hear and see. Relief crosses his face. His expression changes to one of determination, and I have the thought that something big is about to happen. "It's happening. Tomorrow. I have to get you out of the hospital. We are meeting at the Cullen house in a half an hour. How do you feel?"

He waits for me to answer. I open my mouth, and all that comes out is a sigh of air. I literally cross my arms and pout, so frustrated with the situation that I have no idea what to do. He pulls my phone out of his pocket and brings up the texting app. Who says you can't have both brawn and brains?

 _I'm good. I feel better than I have in a long time. I'm ready to go, but what does the doctor say?_

"Well, I'm not sure. And it really doesn't matter right now, Bella. What matters is that tomorrow morning, we will have twenty more vamps in our territory, trying to rip you apart. Are you ready for that? Do you think you should be stuck here in a hospital, where I can't phase to protect you?"

 _Who says I need your protection-_ I type out, then delete quickly. I know he is emotional and worried right now, and that's why he is talking to me like this. _I appreciate the fact that you want to protect me, love. I just want to make sure that the doctor knows I'm leaving. I know I need to get out of here._

"I'll tell Carlisle to make a call. Hop on my back. We're jumping out of the window."

I roll my eyes again, and reach up to wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls on my legs and hikes me up his back, like I weigh nothing. I loosen my grip around his neck, and grasp my hands around his chest. He's holding me up, I'm just keeping myself upright. He heads to the window and pushes it open. The hospitals in Arizona have windows that don't open. I guess people tend to jump out of them. I crack a small smile at the thought. He climbs onto the sill, and I grip a bit harder so I don't fly backward. He jumps, lands easily, and starts running toward the woodline. He weaves his way through the trees effortlessly, so graceful, so beautiful. We emerge in the field outside Edward's house, and a knot tightens in my stomach. I so don't want this right now. Jacob trots up to the door, and instead of saying 'hello', he looks past Edward, to Carlisle.

"Hey Carlisle. I need you to make a call to the hospital. Let the doctor know that Bella is safe. Also, do you have a computer that we can park Bella in front of? I figure this might be a hell of a lot easier if she can type big enough for everyone to see it."

"Do come right in, Jacob. I'm fine, thank you for asking," Edward smirks and moves aside.

"Thanks. Don't mind if I do," Jacob jabs back, his snide remark offset by the small smile on his lips. Edward barks out a laugh and gives Jake a playful shove. What fucking Universe did I just step into?

"We do have a computer. I suppose that would be as good a room as any to have the meeting in. We need to strategize attack and defense. Jasper will be handling this, as usual. We have a clearer picture of where they will be coming from, thanks to Alice's visions. Edward, bring the white board into the office, please," Carlisle finished, and Jake followed him as he walked down the hall. I can hear music playing, coming from Edward's room. 'Love the Lonely Out of You' by Brothers Osborne is floating toward me. My shoulders relax. I love this song. Brothers Osborne is one of my favorites right now.

Once we got to the office, Jacob set me gently in the rolling chair in front of the computer, and I reached down to hit the power button on the tower. While I waited for it to boot up, I pulled out my phone and started typing a message to Alice, who had walked in behind us.

 _This is some fucked up shit. Have you seen what I can do?_ I flip the phone her way, and she reads quickly, nodding her head.

"This IS some fucked up shit. And yes, I have," she smiles brightly. "I'm letting you tell them, but of course Edward sees everything I do. And he's seen it firsthand! And I thought being a **vampire** was crazy." She laughs her beautiful tinkling laugh then, looking and sounding like she belongs in a fairytale. We sit and wait for everyone to filter into the room. It's pretty tight with most of the pack boys in here, but we make the best out of it. The computer finishes booting, and the white board is squeezed in, with Jasper stationing himself in front of it.

 _Will you read my screens out loud for me? I need to be able to tell everyone what I can do, and I want to recount some things that I saw in the Aether._

"Of course!" she nods. I start typing then, and she waits for an opening in Jasper's explanation of where our best guess is that Victoria and the newborn army will be appearing.

"So, any suggestions? Or are you ready to speak, Bella?" Jasper finishes up his presentation.

"Bella has asked for me to speak for her, by reading from her screen. It will be easier this way, since the room is so crowded."

 _I'm sorry that I can't talk. I have no idea what is going on with that, but the doctor has suggested that it may be a mental block of some sort. I am trying to find a way out of it, but for now, this is how I have to communicate._

 _I know that some of you already know or have already heard about the absolute ridiculousness that my life has become. I will try my best to explain to those of you who don't know, or may have some confusion on the matter. I am a descendant of a psychic, apparently. In some strange twist of fate, the doctor must have knocked some shit loose in my brain and caused this to manifest now. Here I am with some weird powers that I never knew about. I thought my brain not letting people get in it was somehow just me being a private person. Turns out, that is not the half of it._

 _There is a place that I can walk to. You wolves will be more familiar with this concept than the vampires, but I know they know about it, too. This other plane, well... I can do some pretty cool shit there. Edward, show them your arm._

"It's better than it was, slowly healing... But she injured me. I was bleeding. And it hurt," Edward said, sticking his arm out for all to see. There is a collective gasp as they realize what this means.

 _Yep, that's right. I'm Spider Man. (wait while they laugh, Alice)_

"I know I wasn't supposed to read that part out loud, but it was too funny not to," she winks at me and I stick my tongue out at her. Everyone chuckles except for Jasper, whose eyes are squinted in concentrated thought.

"Well, that is fucking frightening," Jasper squeezes out. The look on his face says that he's scared to death, but then also, very impressed. "I'm glad you are on our side, Bella. How exactly does this work?"

"I _suppose_ we will find out once I finish reading the script that she has typed out, love," Alice smirks. Jasper shrugs, quirking up the side of his mouth in an almost-smile.

 _Don't know how it works. It just does. I grabbed onto his arm, and scratched. His skin felt human. Not like the stone-diamond body you have here- it was soft._

 _This is the part where you are wondering how in the world he got to the Aether with me. Apparently I'm a fucking boss, and can reach through space and grab you. I suppose this is more like Doctor Strange, than Spider Man, now that I think on it. Anyhow, I pulled him in with me. The Aether has revealed to me some incredible things. There is a scrying pond where I can focus on anyone and see them. I found Jake while he was sleeping and even touched him, without bringing him to me. Of course, Swift told me that vamps can be harder to pin down in this manner, but it's worth a shot, I'd say._

"Who is Swift?" Edward asks. I can see his unease at having to receive information at the same rate as everyone else. He's fidgeting, leg bouncing up and down. He's not used to having to wait. I open a new notepad window and start typing.

 _Swift is actually a wolf, like The Pack here. He's grown so old that he can no longer transform, and chose to keep his wolf form and stay in the Aether. He was Matilda's companion for many years. He's kinda been my guide through this. He wasn't there as soon as I got there, I figured out the making and throwing plasma balls thing on my own. He scared the shit out of me when he first showed up._

I click back over to my original document so Alice can continue to read it after she is done reading the note that I just typed about Swift. That's when I notice the silence that has collected around me, and I look up from the computer screen and notice the looks on their faces.

"Wait. Are you telling me that you have like, magic powers? Physical ones?"

"What is with these plasma balls? Are we talking destruction?"

"Can you do this outside of the Aether?"

"What is the wolf's actual name? Swift isn't a Quileute name."

The questions are flying from all sides. I heave a sigh and turn back to the computer, tabbing back to the other notepad again. I try to address all of their questions, but decide to give a little preface just in case I miss anything.

 _Ok guys. I'm going to try to answer everything but I will let you ask questions if you need to, just in case I miss something._

 _Yes, I guess they are magical, physical powers. I haven't tried to do anything outside of the Aether, I haven't really had a chance. I suppose I might be able to try to see what I can do when we are done in here. I can wreak a bit of havoc in the Aether, that is for sure. There's always the possibility that all materials are just softer there, and that's what makes it easier to break them. I blasted some trees apart pretty easily._

 _As for Swift, that is the name that Matilda gave him. He agreed to go by it, because they couldn't communicate at first. Before he could speak to her, she named him. He quite liked it, I guess. His real name is_ _Kaba-Omik. He's been in the Aether for the last 200 years, he says._

I look up from the keyboard and watch everyone's faces while Alice reads to them. There are many expressions going on. The Pack is sitting at the back of the room, very passive, until we reach the part about Swift. Embry gets a little excited, and I know what is going through his mind. The little nerd is a big history buff. When he gets the time, he is going to try to find Kaba-Omik in the Pack Histories. The look on his face is just so adorable. I have a big surge of love for my Pack. Yes, these are my people.

"Have you tried to hit a living thing with your plasma balls?" asks Jasper.

 _I haven't really wanted to kill anything, honestly, Jasper._ I type out quickly, then smile at him. He actually laughs. I didn't know he was capable.

"I guess you have a point. I wish we could figure out what happens with it before they get here. I suppose that we will find out. Either way, it will work to our advantage..." he trails off, looking lost in thought.

"You're not proposing that we just send Victoria to the Aether with her and figure it out when she gets there?!" Edward pipes up.

"You've always underestimated her, Eddie boy," Jacob says. "I do think that maybe we shouldn't go flying in by the seat of our pants, but either she can or she can't. She's not going to have time to figure it out beforehand. We just need a backup plan."

They start arguing over who is going to go in with me, whether I should go to the Aether at all, and then whether I should even take part in the fight. I start typing again, growing tired of all of the fussing. Talking about me like I'm not even here. Not even asking my opinion or what I want to do.

 _Can you STOP IT?! I will decide whether or not to participate. You aren't deciding anything for me! I'm useful now. I can do things. I'm not going to be in the way. I am not the human distraction anymore. There are no more normal humans here. I think that Jake and Edward should both go in with me. Jasper will, of course, lead the vampires out here. Sam, of course, will lead the wolves. I can use the scrying pond to figure out exactly where Victoria is, and go from there. We will figure it out once we get in there. If I can't take her down with my powers, I think Edward and Jacob can handle Victoria. She won't be able to run. The Aether is MINE._

Alice reads it out loud, not waiting for her brother and Jake to finish yelling at each other. I love that she is fully standing in for me, letting me advocate for myself, and not trying to throw herself into the mix. She is truly my voice right now. At the end of my little speech, her eyes fix on a point in space, and I can see the beginning of a vision. Being used to this by now, we all sit patiently waiting.

"Now. We need to start getting ready. It's almost time," she urges. "We need someone to stay here to watch over the bodies while they go the the Aether."

"Colin, Brady... You two will stay here in wolf form, near the bodies. If anything happens, we will be able to communicate with you, and you with us," Sam says. "No. That is a command. No complaints," he finishes, when the younger boys start whining. Their heads bow under the order, no more sounds escaping their mouths.

"Go outside to phase, boys, then come back. That should give us some time to get laid down and where we need to be. Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine," Jacob reassures them. He nods at Sam, who then looks at the rest of the pack. They follow him out of the door, a few of them having to duck so they won't hit their heads.

"Jasper, if this doesn't work out, we'll come back and meet you in the woods. Alice, watch for us. Hopefully you will see us coming," says Edward. They both nod, and the Cullens all follow the wolves out of the room.

I turn to the computer and put my fingers on the keyboard. When I finish typing, the boys chuckle from behind me.

 _Let's fuck some shit up, shall we?_

I lay down on the floor, flat on my back, and direct Edward and Jacob to do the same, one on either side of me. I grab their hands. On my right, cold stone. On my left, my sun. I close my eyes and feel the yank that is becoming familiar, letting me know that I am on my way to my home plane. The hands holding mine grip tighter, this alien experience making them uncomfortable. The soft strains of AC/DC's Highway to Hell find me from the other room before I slip, and I chuckle to myself.

When I open my eyes, I'm laying in the field next to the scrying pond, and Swift is trotting up to us quickly.

"Jake, Edward... This is Swift. Jake, he might be able to help you out, in case you were worried about phasing in and out here. I think I will leave you in his tutelage. Edward, if you could come with me... you might be able to help me figure out where Victoria is, with the pond," I delegate.

"It's good to hear your voice, babe," Jacob says, kissing me on the forehead, and turning back to Swift. Edward just waits for me to move toward the pond before even looking around. He's taking everything in very slowly.

I look into the scrying pond, thinking of red hair, and sharp teeth, and evasiveness. Gathering up every bit of knowledge I have of Victoria, and throwing it into this glass-like surface. When her face swims into view, Edward gasps. There is a small army of newborn vampires behind her. Trees are whizzing past her face in the vision. I see the cliff that I jumped from, what feels like so long ago, in the distance. They are getting close.

"Jacob, I need you to phase!" I yell. "We need to do this now. We can't let Victoria get close to our families. Edward, are you ready?" I hear Jacob phase behind me, his bones cracking audibly.

"Let's do this!" Edward shouts, and Jacob howls in agreement.

I close my eyes and reach forward into the pond, my fingers brushing curly red hair.

 **So? What do you think? It's here! The end is near! Lol... Give me some love. Thank you for your favorites, follows, and reviews! You people are amazing. Love, lucybell 3**


	24. Chapter 24: Immigrant Song

Chapter 24: Immigrant Song

 **I really thought that this would be the final chapter. I think I have one more left in me, then this story will be over. I hope that you guys like it. It's pouring out now. I know I just posted a chapter yesterday, so I'm sorry! I really want to get it out! :) Enjoy!**

Bella's POV

My fingers brush her hair and all at once, I realize my fear. Holy shit. What am I doing? I'm not some fucking robot storm trooper. How am I so damn gung-ho about this? I haven't even stopped to think about what might happen to me. About what might happen if I do the wrong thing. I haven't practiced much. This is only my second time even TOUCHING someone outside of the realm I'm in. I'm supposed to just pick her up and bring her here somehow? This isn't something I've done yet... I mean, considering the other things I've done, it would make sense that I can do this, but...

I jerk my arm back through the surface of the scrying pond and grasp at my throat. I can't breathe. My arms and legs are tingling, going numb. I'm having a panic attack. Jake's wolf form brushes up against my side, knocking me off-balance. He whines low under his breath, trying to soothe me.

"Edward. Fucking talk me down," I get out between gasps. I feel the old Bella bubbling up. I hate her. I can't take this. I loathe feeling this way. By the way that Jake snuffles, I can feel that he is frustrated with me, and I don't know how to stop it. There's silence for a few beats, then he speaks.

"Bella. This isn't you. This is weakness. You are not this frail little girl anymore. You are strong, and powerful. This, what is breaking through... This is who you used to be. You've been through some real shit these past couple of months. What we are about to do is nothing compared to that. You have a whole new arsenal at your disposal. Stop sniffling and do what you need to do," Edward's tone is harsh, unemotional. It's just what I need.

Edward's POV

Her face. Her voice. She is scared. Frightened to death.

I look down to Black's wolf form, begging him to change back. His mind is filled with anguish. He's trying. He sees that she is falling apart, but this realm is trickier with phasing. He can't seem to get his body to cooperate yet. Swift is coaching him along, trying to get him to understand that maybe he needs to just stay this way for a little while before phasing back. He snuffles, aggravated.

 _You're going to have to be an asshole, Cullen. Talk to her like I would. Tell her that this is bullshit. This is weak. This is YOUR Bella. My Bella doesn't do this shit._

When my mouth starts moving, I make sure that my face is impassive. I use the same tone that I used when I left her, that day in the woods. No love, no care. No emotion. Cold. Vampire.

My speech has done the trick, her face has hardened. Her back is straighter, her breathing even. The wolf Jacob looks up at me and snuffles again, satisfied with how the pep talk went.

 _Were you channeling me? Great Jacob impersonation, bro. I approve of this message._ He's cracking himself up.

"Are you ready? Let's try this again," Bella whispers. She steels herself and reaches back into the pond.

Bella's POV

I take a deep breath and plunge my arm back into the cool water of the pond. This is definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. I let out my breath, and take hold of Victoria's jacket. I watch her face contort in surprise, then jerk with all of my might. Watching through the pool, I see her corporeal body collapse in a heap. The group of newborns behind her keeps running, leaving her lying on the forest floor without even a look back.

Victoria stands in front of me, in stunned silence. I had no idea what was going to happen when I grabbed her, so I'm just as surprised as she is. I hadn't really thought through what I was going to do next. My blood is pumping so hard that I can feel the throbbing in my head, hear it in my ears. Victoria is apparently a little quicker at recuperating than I am, because before I even realize what is going on, she's running.

Swift and Jacob start running after her, natural enemies on the trail of the thing they were made to hunt. Edward is staring at me, a look on his face I haven't seen before. Is that awe?

"Well, are you just going to stand there? I very well can't run after her! Move your ass, Cullen!" I yell at him.

"I'm not sure I should leave you here by yourself. Black and Swift are already after her. One is chasing and the other is flanking- I think they will be fine with at least sending her our way. She IS after you, after all, so leaving you sounds irresponsible," he finishes, knowing that he is making sense.

"I don't need your protection anymore, Edward. But I suppose that the odds of her dying are better when there are two of us waiting, so I'll go with that." He rolls his eyes at me and chuckles.

"Maybe you should do some practicing while we wait," he suggests. He's making a lot of sense today. I twitch my fingers and watch electricity crackle.

Alice's POV

I've seen too many possibilities. So many twists and turns lead to the end of this road. I'm semi-directing this cruise. I have to determine when will be the best time to leave to get to the army of newborns. I know that Bella is having a panic attack right now. Either Edward will calm her down, or we will have to wait for Jacob to phase back. The path continues to fork from there.

I can see the future change with each decision that is made. Jacob told Edward what to say, and it helped. He didn't sound condescending, he was harsh, unemotional. He did his job the best way he could have. More dominoes are set up to fall.

Bella pulls Victoria through the scrying pond. She doesn't immediately attack. Damn! If only she had taken that opportunity... But the odds of that ending were so slim. We're sliding down another path now, and the endings are becoming fewer. The probability of having no losses of life on our end is becoming slimmer.

Now is the time.

"Now, Jasper, Sam! We have to go now."

Our group is moving, with Jasper and Sam leading us, running through the forest. We are a huge nest of live wires. We are a caravan of death. We get to the clearing where the newborns round the corner and see that Victoria isn't leading them. They are a mess. They smell us and are frenzied, careless. Any training they might have had is doing no good now.

We split up, dispatching newborns right and left. My brain is keeping up with all of the possibilities, everything that is happening around us, and I'm slightly distracted. There are only a few newborns left, and I stand back, letting the others finish the job. A vision slides across my mind, and I accept it, leaning into it. The situation in the Aether is going as well as possible. I hear a howl, and realize that I let something slip through the cracks. I clear my mind, shaking my head, and look around, catching up with the constant reel in my head.

"God, NO!" I should have paid better attention. I run to the other side of the clearing where Leah is now in human form, naked and bleeding on the ground. Her throat is pouring blood. This won't heal on its own in time. "Leah! Look at me, girl. We are not doing this today! You're going to have to try to forgive me. I can't let this happen."

I've seen all of the possibilities. I've seen every outcome. I know what happens now, and it is not something that I have been looking forward to. This is the reason that Leah is going to hate me forever. I gather my resolve, grab her wrist, and bite. She immediately starts convulsing. Wolves do not take venom well. This can kill her, but the likelihood of that is small, according to my visions. It should work.

"Jesus Christ, Alice! What are you doing?! Oh God, oh God no..." Paul has just phased back, after killing the last of the newborns. He knows what this means. His wailing is filling my ears, it's all I can hear. And though I had braced myself for his reaction, it still hits me hard. He'll forgive me, eventually. He knows that this existence is better than living his life without her. Life will be hard for someone so unique. She's going to hate everyone for a while, me most of all. But this is better than her death.

Bella's POV

I put my hands together, in the praying position, then cup them a little, pulling apart. Tiny electric arcs spasm between my palms and fingertips. I get a little lost, fascinated with this new ability of mine. A howl in the distance brings me back quickly, and I try to manipulate the energy I've formed. I make a ball and toss it at some nearby trees, and they explode like dandelion seeds in a strong breeze.

"Holy shit, Bella," Edward gasps. He's amazed. I've dazzled a vampire that can read minds.

"It's not THAT impressive, Edward. Everyone in your family has a special ability. This is just energy," I smirk a little, knowing that it is, in fact, impressive. I'm a human, after all. Nothing special, until now. I put my hands together again, and try a different shape this time. I form my ball, then flatten it, smoothing it out into a frisbee shape. I sling it at another tree, and instead of exploding, I completely lop the top of it off. The falling part turns into the purple haze that I've come to love, scattering in the wind.

I'm actually having a lot of fun with this, now, and start trying to make other shapes. I formed one into a shape like a stick of dynamite, for fun. I was too scared to sit it down, so I threw it. It did the same thing as the ball, but it's good to get some shaping practice in, I guess. I have the thought that I might be able to shape energy into a melee weapon to wield, just as I see Victoria run out of the woods and into the clearing where we are.

"I'm going to try to catch her so you don't have to hit a moving target," he yells as he's moving away. I start running, too, but he's left me in the dust easily. I form a frisbee disc again, and hurl it at Victoria's head. It doesn't go exactly where I want it to, so I do what I do when I'm playing a video game and lean to try to will it to go where I want.

"OH MY GOD IT'S WORKING!" I shout, but I lose my concentration so the disc hits a tree in the woodline. I quickly form another disc, smoothing out the edges as best as I can so it won't wobble when I throw it. She's not too far away now, but she is still evading the wolves and Edward. I poke my tongue out of the side of my mouth in concentration, and aim. I throw the disc at her again, using my fingers to try to direct it after I release it. I know I look like I should be shouting 'magic missiles!' and wearing a crazy wizard hat with all of the finger wiggling I'm doing.

"Damn it!" I yell, as I've missed again. Apparently I just screamed loud enough to get Victoria's attention. She looks my way, then starts running directly at me. I hastily make another disc, this one not nearly as even and flat as my others. I throw it as fast as I can, an unsteady wobble in its trajectory. It's not moving swiftly enough for my taste, so I flick my finger like I'm flicking a bug. The disc shoots forward and goes cleanly through her throat, her head rolling off the right side of her body and coming to a rest several feet away from me.

Jacob, Swift, and Edward all stop running. Edward starts ripping apart Victoria apart, and the wolves follow suit.

 _There's a burn pit over here. We have flint and stone in a little tinder box right there, vampire. Human hands make it easier to start a fire. While you do that, the young cub and I will work on trying to get him phased back._ Swift's mind-voice makes me realize that I have nothing else to do.

I'm not sure what to do now. Is it really over?

Alice's POV

Well, it's over. I see them burning her body now. There is too much aftermath here for me to worry about what is going on in the Aether now. The newborns have been burned, purple smoke is swirling all around me. The loss of life is such a sadness. Those newborns were people, once. There is one who we found hiding, who said her name is Bree. She doesn't want anything to do with the fighting. She is scared, and Carlisle wants to help her. We are trying to figure out what to do with her, when I get another vision.

"Wolves, you need to leave, NOW! Go home! You will be in great danger if you do not leave, immediately!" I don't have time to explain. Sam and Paul had already carried a screaming Leah back to the Reservation, and left the rest of the Pack to finish cleaning up. It doesn't take much convincing for them to go. They trust what I have to say. "The Volturi are coming. They will be here very, very soon. If we play this out right, everything will be ok."

"Ok everyone, you heard Alice. Come stand behind me. No one speaks unless directly spoken to. Understand?" Carlisle addresses the group, and they all nod. Everyone takes the usual places we assume when we are expecting company. There's no time to go home, we have to do this here. I'm still keeping track of everything else going on, and I'm pretty sure that if it takes Jacob long enough to phase back, the ones coming from the Aether will narrowly miss The Volturi's visit.

"The Cullen Clan! How do you fare? It looks like we just missed something interesting. What happened here?" Aro asks pleasantly. I look up from my reverie and smile at the collection of vampires that have arrived so silently.

"Aro! How nice it is for you to visit. Caius, Marcus, you as well!" Carlisle smiles brightly, greeting them all. "Well, it seems as though you have missed a good fight. One of our kind made an army of newborns and came to try to kill us all. Don't worry, we took care of it. It was difficult, what with so few of us and all."

"Oh dear! If only we had known, we could have helped! And... Where is our dear Edward? He is still part of your coven, no? Where has he gone off to?" Aro is feigning concern, but I can see the truth. He wants him. "I had heard that he has a human girlfriend," he puts his hand to his chest, clearly scandalized. "Is he with her?"

"They broke up long ago, Aro. He has no attachments to her any longer, though we do still see her from time to time."

"But, she knows our secret, yes? How do you plan to remedy that? I can tell by your tone that you love her. You've always been too fond of humans, Carlisle," Aro states, clicking his tongue with disapproval.

Bella's POV

Jacob's body contorts and finally, he's phased back into human form. He retrieves his shorts and flip flops from where he left them by the scrying pool, and we all bid farewell to Swift. I grab the boys' hands and concentrate with all of my might. I feel the familiar yank and open my eyes to the study in the Cullen house. I am super parched, so I stop by the kitchen and grab the glass that I used to use when I was here all of the time. It's the only glass that is ever used here. I accidentally chipped it once when I tripped, walking from the kitchen to the living room. I share my drink with Jake, then place the glass in the sink. I notice Edward stop, and run his finger across the chip in the glass, smiling.

"Let's get going, guys. We need to check on everyone," I urge.

"You're right, let's go," Edward answers, and we walk to the front door and out onto the porch. "Can you carry Bella, or would you like for me to do it?" he asks Jacob, a small smirk at the corner of his lips.

"I think I can handle it, thanks," Jacob says back jovially. With all of this behind us, he seems lighter. I'm not sure that anything can get him down, now. He picks me up and we start moving very quickly, further into the forest.

"Shit. Stop. Don't go any further, wolf. We need to head back to my house," Edward whispers, insistence in his voice. "They have company that we don't need to deal with right now. It would be dangerous." Jacob stops abruptly, and turns around to head back to the house. "Ah, fuck."

"Edward. How nice of you to join us!" Jayne says, walking out from behind a nearby tree. "And you brought a party! Well, what a sight you three are. A vampire, a wolf, and a human. Sounds like the beginning of a great joke."

 **So what did you think? Thank you all so much for your continued support and patience. You rock my socks. Leave some reviews, let me know how I've done! Thanks guys, you are the best. And I really hope you don't hate me for the Leah thing. I'm sure I'm going to get some flack for that lol.**


	25. Chapter 25: Closing Time

Chapter 25: Closing Time

 **Oh geez, guys. This is the last chapter. I think I will do an addition later, with some poetry and one shots from this story universe. I really, really hope that you guys love this story as much as I have. Follow me so that you can catch any other thing I might post! I love you all. All the best, Lucybell XOXOXO**

Bella's POV

This bitch is scary. Why is she talking like that? I can see the monster lurking under the surface. She looks like a cat who caught a canary.

"Jane! What a pleasure. How long has it been? Decades? What brings you here?" Edward is being carefully measured. She is the danger he was talking about.

"Oh, it's definitely been too long. We heard some gossip and thought we'd come check in. It looks like there was some truth to it. You are keeping some interesting company these days. Would you care to introduce your friends to the rest of the group? We're all just over this way," she says, walking away. There was no turning down her invitation, that much is clear. We follow after her, Jacob continuing to carry me in his arms. His muscles are tight, ready to run. He wouldn't risk my getting hurt.

"Edward! You have returned. I'm so glad we caught you! I would have been so disappointed if we had come all of this way and we didn't get to see you. Who are your friends? I hear heartbeats! Is this the girl that we have heard tell of?" Aro inquires.

"Yes, this is Edward's ex-girlfriend, Bella," Carlisle supplies.

"And your burly friend that is carrying Bella? Who might this be?"

"Jacob Black. Nice to meet you," Jacob answers for himself. He can sense that this is not the time to be his usual snarky self.

"Pardon my saying so, but... You are truly pungent. Remarkable. I've never met an actual werewolf before," Aro fascinates aloud.

"Pardon my saying so, but I'm no werewolf. What I am is different. I'm a shifter of sorts. That's neither here nor there. I think Bella and I should get going and let you guys visit. It was nice meeting all of you. We have to get home. See you guys later," Jacob said politely, then turned to walk away.

"Wait. Any friends of Edward's are friends of ours. I think you should stick around. We have some issues that need addressed before you leave. Please, stay," Caius spoke for the first time, and his voice was so low that it shocked me a little. This is no request. If Jacob tries to leave, there will be consequences. Jake stops, and turns back around. I clear my throat, thinking I might try to speak. Somehow I know that I will be able to get something out.

"Put me down, Jake, I know you are tired. I can walk," I tell him, my voice cracking with disuse. His eyes narrow, and I can tell that he doesn't like my idea. I purse my mouth and decide to get down by myself, and instead of making a scene, he relents and lets me down. I look around, and my friends are openly staring at me. The visiting vampires look more than a little curious at this reaction.

"Carlisle, you know the rules about humans knowing who we are. This is not allowed. The number one rule about being one of us is to keep our secret safe from those not like us. How does this girl know about us? You know what we do to humans who find out about us, even the mainstreamers like yourselves," Jane informs us of the actual purpose of their coming here. "What happens if she gets angry? Humans are fickle. They talk to other humans. Before long, the whole town will know what you are, then we will have to have another Holocaust on our hands. It's just not good for business."

"Oh, I promise, I won't say anything. It's not my secret to tell. My lips are sealed. Truthfully, I don't even talk that much," I supply helpfully, knowing that this answer will mean nothing to them. I almost chuckle a little, because lord knows I crack myself up.

"No offense, sweetie, but I just can't believe you," Jane says, menacingly. "Humans are known to be great liars."

"Well, Aro could touch her. That's a good option right now, I think," Alice says, with hesitation in her voice.

"And how do you think that will turn out, dear one?" Aro asks Alice. "Tell me what you've seen."

"Actually, you are going to want to see this yourself. You will love it. Let it be a surprise!" Alice is doing a cute pouty face, joking playfully with Aro. She's an artist.

"I'm not sure about that. The only way that she will go to you is if I come with her. I don't know you, and I am Bella's protector. She goes nowhere without me," Jacob jumps in.

"How utterly tiring. If you must," Aro says, rolling his eyes. He holds our his hand to me, and I nervously step forward and take it. Aro's hand is cold and dry. His face goes blank, and a look of concentration passes over his eyes. A slow smile spreads across his face. "How delightful! Edward, are you able to read her mind? I see nothing! This is the first time my gift hasn't worked. I am fascinated by you, dear child!"

"No, I can't read her mind. Alice can see her in visions though," Edward answers, reading Aro's mind. "Jasper can affect her mood."

"Hmmm... I wonder..." Aro starts.

"No, please. I don't want to find out. Please, Aro. If it works... She is human," Edward begs. I'm wondering what is going on, but apparently everyone else knows. The unease can be felt from where I am. Everyone behind me is shifting nervously, a human habit that none of them normally have. Something is wrong.

"Alas. We must find out. Jane?"

"As you wish, master," Jane answers, then stares intently at me. A look of confusion crosses her delicate features, then anger. "It doesn't seem to work. I could try the wolf, if you like."

"No, I think I would like to formally meet him, as well. Tell me, will you shake my hand, Mr. Black?" Aro asks. I nod at my boyfriend, trying to get him to cooperate. Jake is well outside his comfort zone. He is not ok with touching vampires, but I know he can sense the seriousness, the danger of the situation we are in. He reaches forward and takes hold of Aro's hand.

"What exactly is this, anyway?" Jacob asks.

"Aro has a special gift. With just a touch, he can see anything in your mind. It's not just what you're thinking of, like my gift. It's anything. Everything," Edward answers. Jacob visibly flinches. This is not ok with him.

"A witch?" Aro gasps, dropping Jake's hand. "You were right not to spoil it for me, Alice!" he smiles, and Alice nods, going along with his excitement.

"Well, the cat is out of the bag, now," Jacob chuckles uneasily.

"Your kind has many secrets. What a joy, to be able to see how it works. Thank you," Aro smiles at him. "A witch. But not always. What a surprise this must have been to you!" he exclaims, looking at me.

"Oh, yes. Um, a big surprise," I say. My throat hurts.

"Well. I think we have seen all we need to see here. Do come see us sometime, Isabella. I would love to see you in full power. Edward, of course, we would love to see you as well, anytime. It was wonderful to see you all. We really must head back," Aro bows, then as one, all of the vampires that had come with him, turn around and start walking away. "You really should retrieve the body of the redhead and burn it. I know this was your first time, Bella, but we mustn't be sloppy."

"Yes sir?" I sort of ask. I'm not sure how I should address him. I get that he's important, but I don't know anything about the formality of it. It doesn't matter, because he doesn't answer anyway. As they disappear out of sight, there's a collective sigh of relief. It seems to have went well.

"I will get Victoria's body. I remember where it was from the scrying pool. You should get back to the Reservation, Jacob. I think you will find something there that requires your attention," Edward states flatly. He looks toward Alice, nostrils flaring. He's upset at her, but I'm not sure why.

"I'm too tired to dig into your cryptic messages right now. Do you have a vehicle I can use? I would hate to have to run all the way to the Res tonight," Jake opines.

"Of course. You can take my Volvo, just bring it back tomorrow. Go get some rest," Edward advised. "And Bella... I'm glad you can speak again. That must be a relief."

Jacob's POV

It's kind of nice to be getting along with Cullen, for a change. I can't say that I mind borrowing the Volvo. The trip to retrieve it was pretty short, considering. Running back to the Res with Bella on my back would have sucked major ass. I don't think I've ever been this tired. Phasing in the Aether really took it out of me. It required a whole new level of concentration.

When we get back to my house, the lights are all on. There's definitely someone in there moving around. Looking at the time, there's no way that it's Dad, unless something is wrong. He wouldn't be up this late, otherwise. I steel myself, and wait for Bella to hop out of the other side of the car before I go up the walk. When I open the door, I see the look on Dad's face, and this is the first time that I have felt real fear today.

"Dad? What's wrong? What's going on? Is everyone ok?"

"Jake, you need to go to Paul's. There's been... an incident. Something happened to Leah. You'll need to go see for yourself. I'll leave the door unlocked for you, but I don't think I'll be seeing you back tonight. We need to talk, so make yourself available to me tomorrow. Goodnight, I love you guys." Dad is shaking his head on the way to his room, and I notice just how slowly he wheels his chair. How very tired he really looks.

"You ready, Bells? I guess we're heading to Lahote's." We go back to Edward's car and drive. It's not too far, and I run it all of the time, but I'm just wore out.

"I hope Leah is ok. I'm really worried now," Bella says, wringing her hands. When we pull up to Paul's house, she jumps out of the car before I do. I could hear Leah's screams before we got here. She is in excruciating pain. She's a tough woman, and I've never heard her even cry over any physical hurt. We run in without knocking, and see that there are other people here waiting, too. Charlie is in the corner, talking to Sue. Seth is sitting next to his mom, crying into his hands. Emily is rubbing Sam's back, making soothing shushing noises. This looks like a room full of people who just heard of the death of a loved one.

"What's going on? Dad didn't tell me what happened, he just told me that I needed to come over."

"It's bad, man. I'm not sure what to make of it, honestly," Sam answers, sighing and shaking his head. "She was going to die. She was going to die, and Alice saved her."

"If she saved her, why is everyone so upset? Why is she still in so much pain? I've never heard screaming like that from anyone," I say. Bella reaches over and touches my arm, looking into my face knowingly. "What... I mean... Oh, fuck." I'm so exhausted that it takes me longer than normal to piece together what is going on. I push down all the emotions that are bubbling to the surface, and break into a run to Paul's bedroom door.

"Jake," Paul says, and I can barely hear him over the cacophony that is happening just a few feet away from me. "Jake, I don't know what to do. What do I do?" He looks so confused, and tired, and something else... Hurt. This is his imprint. The love of his life. What ties him here.

"Paul, buddy, we are going to figure this out," I reassure him, and I feel Bella walk into the room behind me. I close my eyes and realize that there is nothing TO do. Nothing can be done. I've not heard of any wolf being bitten and surviving, mostly because bloodsuckers tend to tear us apart if they can. "Let's think logically... Alice did this. She must have known how it would turn out, before she did it. She wouldn't do this if she was just going to die anyway."

"That's what I was thinking. I mean, we didn't really have time for Alice to explain everything, but she told me that though it's not set in stone, she is expecting her to be fine. She said it was her only option if she wasn't going to die," he says, then sighs. "I just don't think I can stand to see her suffer through this. And I can't leave, obviously. This is like torture. The imprint is making me nuts right now."

"I can imagine," I tell him, and I can. This is some shit that I wouldn't wish on anyone. "The only thing I don't understand is why I didn't know this happened. From the timing, I would guess that I was phased too... But come to think of it, I didn't hear any of you while I was in the Aether. I guess being in another realm must block us from each other. I could easily hear Swift..." I trail off, thinking about how I didn't even notice my brothers missing from my mind.

"Leah is strong. She's going to get through this. And she's going to make one badass vampire wolf. I know that this is horrible right now, but everything is going to be ok. After all that we've been through, how could it not be? She is my best friend. Even if I have to sacrifice a goat or something, I will make sure that she makes it through," Bella says, chuckling, trying to lighten the mood. "Go get some rest, Paul. This process takes days, from what I understand, and I have plenty of energy. The Aether heals my ails and all that. You can cuddle with Jake in our bed, but you have to be the little spoon. Promise?" Paul cracks a small smile.

"OK, but if anything changes, please call me. I'll be back in a few hours to give you a break. A few hours of constant screaming is going to take its toll on you, believe me." Paul reaches up and rubs his eyes, tiredly. I can see his struggle to even walk away from Leah. I put my arm around his shoulder and pull him to the door, letting him lean on me while we walk to Cullen's car.

Bella's POV

I sit in a chair at the side of Paul's bed, watching Leah scream for what seems like forever. Thankfully, Emily ran to our house and brought my old copy of Wuthering Heights for me to read. Not that I can really concentrate. It's been four hours since Jake and Paul left. I expected them back by now, but I'm guessing that they were so tired that they are still sleeping. I'm ok with that, feeling pretty good right now, though my nerves are shot. Carlisle and Alice come by to check on Leah, saying that she actually looks further on in the process than one would normally be. The drops of blood that he took are stuck on little slides and put under a microscope.

"I've never known of a wolf being bitten by a vampire and actually surviving that long enough to change. It is looking as though this will be a typical wolf process, and she will change much faster than a typical human. What would normally take a few days, is probably going to come to an end within a few hours or so for her. We're really just kind of waiting for her to wake up," Carlisle tells me. Alice is standing off to the side, not talking. I can tell she feels horrible.

"Wow. So what are we expecting, here? Is she going to wake up and want to bite everyone? Will she try to kill me, if I'm in here?" I ask, questions tumbling out of my mouth like word vomit. All of a sudden, Leah stops screaming. I look at her, stunned by the silence.

"I'm actually going to just hang around here on the Res until she turns. I would recommend you not being in here when it happens, because you are human and we are not sure how she will react. Maybe give Paul and Jacob another hour, then call for them. She will need familiar faces when she wakes up," Carlisle advises. "I have a few calls to make, so I'm going to step out, but I will be close enough, should you need me." I nod at him and watch him walk out of the door. Alice stays put, arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm so sorry. I went over everything. This was the best option. Bella, she is going to hate me. I've seen it. It will take a lifetime for her to forgive me," Alice almost sobs, clearly upset by this.

"I think she will find it in herself to forgive you, one day. And all of us who love her... Well, we thank you. I don't want a world without her in it."

Jacob's POV

We really overslept. I got the phone call from Bella, and we had been asleep for five hours. Paul is so upset with himself that he can't even speak. He somehow feels like he had abandoned her when she needed him. It's hard to see him like this. He's such a hard ass that seeing him so upset, completely falling apart, is the most unsettling thing about this whole experience.

"Jake, one thing before you leave?" Dad asks. "I can't do this forever. It's time for me to teach you to be what you were born to be. Whether you take over as Alpha of the Pack or not, is your choice... I know that may not be something you want to do. But remember... You were born to do this. You will always be my son, but it is time for you to become Chief Black."

I knew this was coming, Dad's getting older, and he has been delegating most of his chiefly duties to me over the last year. I heave a big sigh, and look over at Paul, who is laughing quietly. I reach forward and shake Dad's hand, then pull him into a hug. When I let him go, I nod, then walk to the door to leave. Paul is in front of me, but he suddenly stops and steps backward.

"Chief Black," he snickers, bowing in mock fashion. Ass. At least he hasn't lost all of his humor.

We drive over in the Volvo, and I see Dr. Cullen's car sitting in front of Paul's house. Bella told me that he had come by. When we get out, Carlisle walks up to us, talking before we get to the door.

"It's going to happen, soon. I'm here," he assures us. "We are going to find her something to eat, as quickly as we can. If we can get the thirst out of the way straight off, she'll be able to better focus and get back to her regular self. Or the closest version, anyway," Carlisle finishes.

"Will she try to bite one of us?" Paul asks, all seriousness.

"No offense, Paul... But you smell as appetizing as rotten garbage. She's not going to want to eat that. Although, since she is part wolf, I suppose that could make a difference... We'll have to play it by ear. Alice and I will sit closely, you can sit further away, just in case. Bella is going to have to leave the room. I estimate that Leah will be waking very soon."

When we walk in, Bella is sitting on the bed, holding Leah's limp hand. Sometimes I swear that girl has no sense.

"She has started stirring. I know, I know..." Bella says, when all of our eyes bug out of our heads at her, well... her stupidity. "But I just love her so much. I heard you guys coming. I thought no way would she wake up before you guys got in here, but I wanted to say goodbye before all she knows of me is how good I smell..." Her small face turns down into a frown, and a tear rolls down her cheek. Leah's body jerks a little, and Bella lets go of her hand, getting up to make room for Carlisle and Alice to take her place. "It's going to be awhile, but... I'll see you later, friend," she whispers at Leah, then walks out of the bedroom and to the front door, not looking back.

We're sitting there, staring at Leah for a good fifteen minutes, when her eyes open and she bolts upright. Her vision darts all around the room, her hand reaching up to her throat.

"Oh God. It burns. Why does it burn so bad?" she asks, genuine discomfort in her voice. "And what is that smell? Why is Dr. Ken doll here?"

"The smell is this house. The wolf smell is particularly strong here. Leah... During the fight with the newborns, you were fatally injured, and... Well, you were going to die. I did what I had to do to save you. I hope you can forgive me. I'm so sorry," Alice said soberly.

"Wait... wait a fucking second. Are you telling me... Are you saying that I'm a goddamned bloodsucker?!" Leah screamed.

"Ahem. I am afraid that that is exactly what you are being told, Miss Clearwater," Carlisle answers softly, reaching out for her hand.

"Don't fucking touch me. Nobody touch me! You let them do this to me? You HAD to know that I wouldn't be good with this, Paul! You know how I feel about leeches!"

"You were dying. You could be saved, and Alice knew that. You know that she sees the future, right?" Paul asks sarcastically. "I didn't really know what was happening, until it was actually happening. It's not like she consulted with me. There was no time. She saw what she had to do, and she did it."

"I can't believe that you are ok with this! Has this even ever happened to another wolf? What if... What if this breaks our bond? What if you hate me now?!" Leah is in full freak out mode. She screams, a tortured sound unlike the ones during the change.

"I can't hate you, Leah. I love you. I more than love you. That won't ever change." Paul's heartfelt release does nothing to calm Leah's sense of despair. She rolls her eyes and grunts loudly.

"How do I stop the burning? I'm guessing I have to go eat someone now, right? This is my fucking life?" with that, she jumps up and runs out of the door, a blur in my vision. Carlisle and Alice leave just as fast, monitoring her so that she doesn't kill any humans.

Bella's POV

I'm waiting outside to go home, sitting on Paul's handmade swing in the far side of the yard, when Leah runs out of the door. She stops and whirls toward me, hunger in her eyes. Fuuuuuck. There's no one with her, and I have no idea what to do... My brain is going a thousand miles a minute. I haven't played with my powers outside of the Aether, and I don't want to hurt her, but it's worth my life to try. I look around quickly and notice a branch hanging in the path she is taking to get to me. I reach out with my finger and flick it with my mind. Nothing happens. Shit.

"Leah, NO!" Carlisle and Alice are running toward her, fast as lightning. They catch up to her before she gets to me, thankfully. The thing about newborns is, they are easy to dispatch because they are careless. The only problem with this is that they are SUPER strong, and if you are trying not to hurt them, well, you would need more than two fully grown vampires to try to hold them. Leah breaks free of their grips, and starts toward me again.

"Shit!" I flick my finger again, begging my brain to cooperate. The branch shakes, and that gives me hope to try again. I stand up, flicking my finger one more time. The branch breaks and falls on top of her. It doesn't hold her for long, but for enough time for Alice and Carlisle to hold her and Jake and Paul to run out to help.

"She doesn't mean it, Bella, you know that," Alice grunts with the effort of holding Leah back. I start feeling a little weird, and right before my legs give out I see a very defeated Paul wiping tears from his face. I'm not sure what's happening, but I don't lose consciousness at least.

"Jesus, Bells! You're already tired... You're not in the Aether right now. It's cool that your powers work here, too, but maybe we should give it some time before you try again. It looks like it might wipe you faster here," Jacob scolds, scooping me up from the ground. "We're going to get out of here. I need to get her home, put her in bed for a while." I fall asleep before we even make it to the Volvo.

I wake up with Jake pulling open the passenger door to get me out of Edward's car. As I'm being carried, I see the rocking chairs sitting on the porch, promising forever. I imagine us there, rocking back and forth, Jacob whittling a walking cane for himself. Me reading Wuthering Heights for the millionth time. Grandchildren with jet black hair and beautiful mahogany skin playing around our feet. And I know, right now, that this is the best possible forever that I could ever have.

 **Well, folks... This is the end. I left some room, so that if/when I want to write a follow up, I can. I am so, so thankful for all of the love you have shown me. I have never written anything but poetry, and was so scared to attempt this fanfic. Thank you for the encouragement, and the kind words. This is just the end of this part of the story, guys! Follow me to see what else I have up my sleeve for later!**


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